THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below 

1S2& 


SOUTHERN  BRANCH, 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA, 
LIBRARY, 

ANGELES,  CALIF. 


LUTHER  ON  EDUCATION 


A  HISTORICAL  INTRODUCTION 


A  TRANSLATION  OF  THE  REFORMER'S  TWO  MOST 
IMPORTANT  EDUCATIONAL  TREATISES. 


BY 

F.  V.  N,  PAINTER,  A.  M., 

PROFESSOR  OF  MODERN  LANGUAGES  IN  ROANOKE  COLLEGE,  AND  AUTHOR 
OF  A  "  HISTORY  OF  EDUCATION." 


LUTHERAN  PUBLICATION  SOCIETY. 

94  14' 


COPYRIGHT,  1889, 


THE  LUTHERAN  PUBLICATION  SOCIETY. 


STATE  NORMAL  SCHOOL, 

i»O8  HfiCEliES,  CSIi. 
I      r^f     Education 

Librarjj 

275 


PREFACE. 


'"PHIS  little  work  illustrates  the  growth  of  an  idea. 
•*•  It  began  with  the  translation  of  the  "  Letter  to 
the  Mayors  and  Aldermen  of  all  the  Cities  of  Ger- 
many in  behalf  of  Christian  Schools,"  of  which  a 
perusal  a  few  years  ago  had  led  me  to  say  in  my 
"  History  of  Education : "  "  If  we  consider  its  pioneer 
character,  in  connection  with  its  statement  of  princi- 
ples and  admirable  recommendations,  the  address 
must  be  regarded  the  most  important  educational 
treatise  ever  written."  The  translation  of  the  "Ser- 
mon on  the  Duty  of  Sending  Children  to  School," 
the  most  elaborate  of  Luther's  educational  writings, 
naturally  followed  as  presenting  more  fully  the  great 
Reformer's  views.  The  interest  thus  awakened  led  to 
an  examination  of  all  that  he  had  written  about  edu- 
cation, and  to  an  attempt  to  arrange  in  a  somewhat 
systematic  form  his  educational  opinions  and  princi- 
ples. The  fact  that  no  great  character  can  be  fully 

(iii) 


IV  PREFACE. 

understood  without  an  acquaintance  with  the  age  in 
which  he  lived  and  the  movements  with  which  he 
was  identified,  led  to  the  preparation  of  the  first  four 
chapters  as  a  historical  introduction. 

The  justification  of  the  work  must  be  found  partly 
in  the  interest  and  value  of  Luther's  views,  and  partly 
in  the  relation  of  those  views  to  educational  progress. 
Though  it  is  not  generally  recognized,  yet  Luther 
brought  about  as  important  a  reformation  in  educa- 
tion as  in  religion.  With  his  earnest  nature  and  pro- 
found penetration  he  laid  hold  of  fundamental  facts 
and  principles  that  are  often  neglected  in  the  rapid 
movements  of  the  present.  The  progress  of  our 
century  in  education — a  progress  that  constitutes  no 
small  part  of  its  pre-eminence — has  its  roots  in  the 
principles  and  labors  of  the  German  reformer.  This 
fact,  it  is  believed,  renders  the  present  work  a  not 
untimely  contribution  to  our  excellent  and  rapidly 
increasing  educational  literature. 

The  two  treatises  of  Luther  contained  in  this  work 
have  never  before  appeared  in  English.  The  transla- 
tion is  made  from  the  Leipsic  edition  of  Luther's 
works.  A  judicious  medium  between  a  literal  and  a 
periphrastic  rendering  has  been  aimed  at,  but  it  is  not 
easy  to  make  the  great,  rugged,  impetuous  German 
speak  our  language  acceptably.  Except  the  passages 


PREFACE.  V 

from  his  Catechisms,  of  which  there  are  several  good 
translations,  nearly  all  the  extracts  illustrating  the 
Reformer's  educational  views  have  been  taken  directly 
from  the  German.  Whenever  an  extract  has  been 
thought  of  especial  importance,  a  reference  has  been 
given  to  its  source;  but  in  most  cases  this  has  not 
been  deemed  necessary. 

F.  V.  N.  PAINTER. 

Salem,  Virginia,  September  £,  1889. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 
CAUSES  OF  THE  REFORMATION 9 

CHAPTER  II. 
THE  PAPACY  AND  POPULAR  EDUCATION 32 

CHAPTER  III. 
PROTESTANTISM  AND  POPULAR  EDUCATION 52 

CHAPTER  IV. 
EDUCATION  BEFORE  THE  REFORMATION 75 

CHAPTER  V. 
LUTHER 90 

CHAPTER  VI. 
LUTHER  ON  DOMESTIC  TRAINING 113 

CHAPTER  VII. 
LUTHER  ON  SCHOOLS 128 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

LUTHER  ON  STUDIES  AND  METHODS 147 

(vii) 


Vlll  CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

CHAPTER  IX. 

LETTER  TO  THE  MAYORS  AND  ALDERMEN  OF  THE  CITIES 
\        OF  GERMANY  IN  BEHALF  OF  CHRISTIAN  SCHOOLS   .   .    169 

CHAPTER  X. 

SERMON    ON   THE    DUTY    OF    SENDING    CHILDREN    TO 
SCHOOL  .  .210 


LUTHER  ON  EDUCATION. 

;  o  4  i 5 

CHAPTER  I. 

CAUSES  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

THE  greatest  achievement  of  the  Germanic  race,  and' 
the  most  important  event  in  history  since  the  ad- 
vent of  Christ,  is  the  Reformation  of  the  sixteenth  cen- 
tury. Though  involving  a  multitude  of  interests,  it 
was  essentially  a  religious  movement,  which  sought  to 
correct  the  errors  in  doctrine  and  practice  that  had 
crept  into  the  Church.  In  connection  with  cooperat- 
ing influences  presently  to  be  noticed,  the  Reformation 
began  a  new  stage  in  human  progress ;  it  marks  the 
close  of  the  Middle  Ages,  and  the  dawn  of  the  modern 
era.  Insignificant  in  its  beginning,  it  appealed  so 
strongly  to  the  conscience  of  the  Teutonic  nations  that 
it  speedily  assumed  a  world-wide  significance.  There 
is  scarcely  an  important  human  interest  that  it  has  not 

affected.     It  has  secured  greater  purity  and  spirituality 
i*  (9) 


IO  LUTHER   ON    EDUCATION. 

in  religion ;  it  has  contributed  to  the  elevation  of  the 
laity  and  the  advancement  of  woman  ;  it  has  confirmed 
the  separation  of  the  secular  and  the  ecclesiastical 
power ;  it  has  given  an  extraordinary  impulse  to  litera- 
ture and  science;  it  has  established  the  right  of  liberty 
of  conscience ;  in  a  word,  it  is  closely  related  to  all 
that  distinguishes  and  ennobles  our  modern  civiliza- 
tion. 

The  Reformation  has  long  been  a  subject  of  con- 
troversy ;  and  at  the  present  time,  because  of  recent 
Roman  Catholic  attacks,  its  origin  and  significance  are 
being  investigated  with  renewed  interest.  In  many  of 
the  discussions  of  the  past,  ignorance,  prejudice,  and 
passion  have  led  to  one-sided  statements,  and  to  erron- 
eous or  inadequate  explanations.  There  have  been 
writers  of  high  rank,  as  Hume  and  Voltaire,  who  have 
alleged  the  rivalry  between  the  Augustinian  and  the 
Dominican  friars  as*  the  origin  of  the  Reformation. 
"  You  are  not  unaware,"  says  the  Frenchman, "  that  this 
great  revolution  in  the  human  mind  and  in  the  politi- 
cal system  of  Europe  began  with  Martin  Luther,  an 
Augustinjan  monk,  whom  his  superiors  deputed  to 
preach  against  the  traffic  in  indulgences  which  had 
been  refused  them.  The  quarrel  was  at  first  between 
the  Augustinians  and  the  Dominicans."*  The  state- 

*  Voltaire,  Essai  sur  les  Moeurs,  chapter  127. 


CAUSES    OF   THE    REFORMATION.  II 

merits  made  in  the  latter  part  of  this  extract  are  wholly 
without  foundation. 

The  Roman  Catholic  view  has  the  merit  of  great 
simplicity.  ^  The  Reformation  was  a  rebellion  against 
the  Church.  Luther,  the.  arch -heretic,  or,  as  Audin 
calls  him,  "the  Sampson  of  the  Reformation,"  led  the 
revolt,  and  gathered  about  him  all  the  elements  of  dis- 
content existing  in  the  social  and  tl\e  religious  world. 
•"  He  arbitrarily  set  himself  up  as  a  reformer  of  the 
Church,  inveighed  against  the  ecclesiastical  authorities, 
especially  against  the  Pope,  whose  supreme  power  he 
denounced  as  usurpation  and  tyranny.  .  .  In  pursu- 
ance of  his  wrong  views,  he  rejected  many  articles  of 
faith  which  the  Church  had  received  from  Christ  and 
his  apostles.  He  discarded  the  holy  sacrifice  of  the 
mass,  fasting,  confession,  prayers  for  the  dead,  and 
many  other  pious  practices;  he  declared  good  works 
to  be  useless,  and  taught  that  man  is  justified  and 
saved  by  faith  alone.  .  .(^Luther  boasted  that  he  took 
his  doctrine  from  the  Bible  only ;  but  being  misled  by 
the  false  rule  of  private  judgment  in  its  interpretation, 
he  soon  fell  into  the  most  palpable  contradictions  and 
errors.  \  .  Nevertheless  he  soon  obtained  many  fol- 
lowers ;  for  the  thoughtless  multitude  were  very  much 
pleased  with  such  easy  doctrine,  which  allowed  them 
to  lead  a  dissolute  life,  and  covetous  princes  found 


12  LUTHER   ON   EDUCATION. 

nothing  more  conformable  to  their  wishes  than  the 
suppression  of  churches  and  monasteries."*  Apart 
from  the  many  erroneous  statements  contained  in  this 
passage,  particularly  in  reference  to  the  uselessness  of 
good  works,  and  the  dissoluteness  of  life  encouraged 
by  the  "  easy  doctrines  "  of  Protestantism,  the  explana- 
tion of  the  reformatory  movement  is  exceedingly  in- 
adequate and  biased. 

I.  Among  the  several  cooperating  causes  of  the 
Reformation  now  to  be  considered,  a  prominent  place 
must  be  given  to  the  effort  of  the  human  mind  in 
Europe  to  throw  off  the  oppressive  intellectual  tyranny 
of  the  Papacy.  The  Reformation,  says  Guizot,  "  was 
a  vast  effort  made  by  the  human  mind  to  achieve  its 
freedom ;  it  was  a  new-born  desire  which  it  felt,  to 
think  and  judge  freely  and  independently  of  facts  and 
opinions  which  till  then  Europe  received,  or  was  con- 
sidered bound  to  receive,  from  the  hands  of  authority. 
It  was  a  great  endeavor  to  emancipate  human  reason ; 
and,  to  call  things  by  their  right  names,  it  was  an  in- 
surrection of  the  human  mind  against  the  absolute 
power  of  the  spiritual  order."f 

*A  Full  Catechism  of  the  Catholic  Religion,  by  the  Rev. 
Joseph  Deharbe,  S.  J.  Twelfth  American  Edition.  Imprima- 
tur of  N.  Card.  Wiseman,  and  of  John  Card.  McClosfcey. 

f  Guizot,  History  of  Civilization.     Chapter  XII.'- 


CAUSES   OF   THE    REFORMATION.  13 

The  correctness  and  significance  of  this  explanation 
of  the  reformatory  movement  will  appear  upoi%  a  brief 
survey  of  the  facts.  At  the  opening  of  the  sixteenth 
century,  the  human  mind  in  Europe  had  attained  a 
higher  plane  of  intelligence  than  it  had  occupied  for  a 
thousand  years.  This  result  was  brought  about  by 
many  remarkable  circumstances.  The  revival  of 
classical  learning,  which  had  its  central  point  in  the 
downfall  of  Constantinople  in  1453,  exerted  a  strong 
and  pervading  influence.  It  opened  the  literary  treas- 
ures of  Greece  and  Rome — the  richest  fruitage  of 
heathen  intellect — and  awakened  Europe  with  its  new 
and  higher  form  of  culture.  The  invention  of  gun-^ 
powder  wrought  an  important  and  salutary  change  in 
society.  It  weakened  the  influence  and  power  of  the  ~\ 
knightly  order,  which  had  hitherto  been  preeminent  in 
military  operations,  and  by  placing  a  powerful  weapon 
in  the  hands  of  the  lower  classes,  it  gradually  led  to 
an  amelioration  of  their  condition.  The  discovery  of 
America  and  of  a  sea-passage  to  the  East  Indies,  led 
to  numerous  voyages  of  exploration,  quickened  com- 
mercial activity,  and  made  large  contributions  to  the 
general  store  of  knowledge.  In  the  cities  an  influen- 
tial middle  class,  or  "  third  estate,"  composed  of  mer- 
chants and  artisans,  won  recognition  at  the  hands  of 
the  nobility  and  the  clergy — the  two  orders  that  had 


14  LUTHER   ON    EDUCATION. 

been  preeminent  during  the  reign  of  feudalism.  The 
rise  of  the  universities,  beginning  with  that  of  Bologna 
in  the  twelfth  century,  stimulated  intellectual  pursuits, 
and  promoted  the  diffusion  of  knowledge.  The  inven- 
tion of  printing,  which  at  once  supplanted  the  tedious 
and  costly  process  of  copying  books  by  hand,  multi- 
plied the  sources  of  knowledge,  and  brought  them 
within  reach  of 'a  larger  circle  of  readers.  These  cir- 
cumstances harmoniously  worked  together  in  lifting 
Europe  to  a  higher  intellectual  plane,  and  in  making  the 
people  restive  under  an  ecclesiastical  tutelage  which, 
in  matters  of  supreme  importance,  forbade,  under  fear* 
ful  penalties,  all  independence  of  thought  and  judgment. 
2.  Another  cause  of  the  Reformation  is  found  in  the 


unbelief,  ignorance,  worldliness,  and  vice,  that  charac- 
terized many  representatives  of  the  Papacy  at  that 
period.  Attempts  have  been  made  by  recent  Roman 
Catholic  writers  to  reconstruct  the  accepted  history  of 
that  age,  and  to  gloss  over  the  corrupt  condition  of  the 
Church.  But  a  careful  investigation  of  the  subject 
amply  justifies  the  rise  of  Protestantism,  and  shows 
that  the  precious  heritage  of  existing  freedom  and  cul- 
ture is  not  the  result  of  a  tremendous  error. 

"  The  Reformation,"  says  Hegel,  "  resulted  from  the 
corruption  of  the  Church''*     While  there  were  many 

*  Hegel,  Philosophy  of  History. 


CAUSES    OF   THE    REFORMATION.  15 

devout  and  intelligent  Christians  in  the  Church  (a  fact 
that  should  not  be  forgotten),  its  general  condition, 
from  the  Pope  down  to  the  humblest  sexton,  was  a 
reproach  to  its  divine  Founder.  The  spiritual  con- 
ception of  the  Church  had  been  lost.  It  had  been 
gradually  transformed  into  a  vast  external  organiza- 
tion, officered  by  the  Pope  and  his  subordinates,  and 
used  by  them  for  selfish  and  sensual  ends.  At  the 

court  of  Rome,  in  the  midst  of  excessive  outward 

• 

splendor,  there  existed  a  spirit  of  unbelief  and  licen- 
tiousness. The  remark  that  Leo  X.  is  said  to  have 
made  to  his  secretary  Bembo  accords  well  with  the 
prevailing  spirit  in  the  pontifical  palace:  "All  the 
world  knows  how  profitable  this  fable  of  Christ  has 
been  to  us  and  ours."*  The  wide-spread  infidelity  led 
the  tenth  Lateran  Council  to  establish  the  doctrine  of 
the  immortality  of  the  soul  by  a  special  decree.  When 
Luther  was  dispatched  to  Rome  as  the  envoy  of  the 
Augustine  brotherhood,  he  was  one  day  at  table  with 
several  distinguished  prelates,  whose  conversation,  as 
he  tells  us,  was  impious.  Among  other  things,  they 
boasted  that  at  mass,  instead  of  the  sacramental  words, 
they  mockingly  pronounced  over  the  elements,  "  Bread 
thou  art,  and  bread  thou  shalt  remain ;  wine  thou  art, 

*D'Aubigne,  History  of  the  Reformation,  Book  I,  Chapter  7, 
where  the  original  source  is  given. 


1 6  LUTHER   ON   EDUCATION. 

and  wine  thou  shalt  remain."  Blasphemy  was  never 
more  shameless.  Ardor  for  antiquity  became  intoxi- 
cation, and  the  paganism  of  Athens  was  revived  in 
Christian  Rome.  The  simple  language  of  the  Scrip- 
ture became  offensive  to  the  devotees  of  the  classics, 
and  its  sublime  truths  were  subject  to  outrageous  par- 
ody. The  Holy  Ghost  was  written  "  the  breath  of  the 
heavenly  zephyr,"  and  the  expression  to  forgive  sins 
was  rendered  "  to  bend  the  manes  and  the  sovereign 
gods."  Alexander  VI.  was  a  monster  of  impiety. 
During  his  reign  the  Vatican  became  the  scene  of 
treachery  and  murder,  and  the  dissolute  entertainments 
given  in  the  pontifical  palace  surpassed  the  groves  of 
antiquity  in  horrible  licentiousness. 

As  the  head,  so  the  members.  The  bishops  lived 
in  the  midst  of  splendor,  and  squandered  in  sensual 
pleasures  the  revenues  of  the  Church.  In  seeking  to 
extend  their  authority,  they  were  frequently  at  war 
with  cities  and  princes.  Ecclesiastical  offices  were 
bought  and  sold,  and  children  were  raised  to  episcopal 
dignity.  The  secular  clergy  or  priests  were  coarse 
and  ignorant,  and  through  the  unnatural  law  of  celi- 
bacy, they  became  exceedingly  corrupt  in  morals. 
They  fell  into  disrepute  with  the  common  people,  who 
ridiculed  them  in  songs  and  pictures ;  and  for  a  cen- 
tury or  longer  they  were  the  notorious  targets  for  the 
shafts  of  satirists. 


CAUSES    OF   THE    REFORMATION.  I/ 

Of  the  monasteries  frightful  pictures  are  given  by 
writers  of  the  time.     The  following  portrayal,  given 
by  John  Schiphower,  himself  a  monk,  is  not  more 
condemning  than  innumerable  others  that  have  beea> 
left  us.     After  speaking  of  the  shamelessness  of  the 
monks  in  preaching  and  in  controversy,  he  continues:: 
"The  manner  in  which  they  lived  their  lives  is  equally 
objectionable.     They  much  better  understood  how  to- 
draw  liquor  from  goblets  than  information  from  books. . 
With  drinking  and  carousing  companions,  they  sit  in: 
taverns,  carry  on  games  and  illicit  amours,  and  daily, 
intoxicate  themselves.     And  these  are — priests  !  they 
are  indeed  so  called,  but  they  are — brutes."*     In  this 
sad  state    of   the  Church,  which  has  not  been   too 
darkly  depicted,  was  found  a  strong  appeal  for  reform- 
atory measures. 

3.  Another  cause  of  the  Reformation  is  found  in 
tHe  external  character  imposed  upon  religion  by  the 
Papacy.  The  legalism  and  ceremonial  of  the  Old 
Testament  were  substituted  for  the  grace  and  spiritual 
worship  of  the  New  Testament.  The  religion  of 
Christ  consists  essentially  in  a  personal  relation  to 
him — a  relation  of  faith,  love  and  obedience.  Salva- 
tion is  not  something  earned  by  human  effort,  but  a 
gift  proceeding  from  the  infinite  love  of  God.  The 

*  Tischer,  Life  of  Luther. 


1 8  LUTHER  «N   EDUCATION. 

will  of  the  believer  is  brought  into  harmony  with  the 
divine  'will.  The  Christian  enjoys  constant  com- 
munion with  God,  to  whom  he  has  immediate  access 
through  Christ.  By  the  profound  reverence  and 
obedient  love  begotten  of  faith,  men  become  the  sons 
of  God,  the  recipients  of  all  the  privileges  and  bless- 
ings pertaining  to  a  filial  relation.  The  kingdom  of 
God  in  the  world  is  composed  of  the  collective  body 
of  believers — a  kingdom,  not  of  outward  pomp  and 
splendor,  but  of  inward  purity,  love,  and  obedience. 
The  written  Word  of  God  is  its  law.  In  this  king- 
dom, every  longing  of  our  nature  finds  complete  sat- 
isfaction, and  human  nature  is  unspeakably  ennobled, 
not  only  by  the  filial  relation  it  sustains  to  God,  but 
also  by  the  pure  affections  that  reign  in  the  heart. 
All  this  was  perverted  by  the  Papacy.  The  spiritual 
kingdom  of  Christ  was  supplanted  by  an  outward 
kingdom,  presided  over  by  a  succession  of  ecclesias- 
tical princes.  The  Pope,  as  the  vicar  of  Christ,  stood 
at  its  head.  Everything  pertaining  to  the  kingdom — 
doctrine,  government,  and  worship — received  an  ex- 
ternal character.  The  representatives  of  the  Church 
surrounded  themselves  with  regal  magnificence.  In 
order  to  maintain  this  splendor,  the  laity  were  bur- 
dened with  numberless  pecuniary  exactions.  Says- 
Martin  Meyer,  a  chancellor  at  Mayence  in  1457:  "A 


CAUSES    OF   THE    REFORMATION.  IQ 

thousand  ways  are  devised,  by  which  the  Romish 
chair  cunningly  robs  us  poor  barbarians  of  money. 
And  thus  it  has  come  about  that  our  nation,  once  so 
highly  renowned,  and  which  by  its  courage  and  blood 
set  up  the  Roman  empire,  and  rose  to  be  mistress  and 
queen  of  the  world,  has  now  been  reduced  to  a  poor, 
servile,  and  tributary  condition,  and  for  many  years  has 
been  groveling  in  the  mire,  and  deploring  her  misfor- 
tune and  poverty."*  Opposition  of  every  kind  was 
put  down  by  force.  Kings  were  dethroned,  as  in  the 
case  of  John  of  England,  and  Henry  IV.  of  Germany ; 
reformers,  like  Huss  and  Jerome  of  Prague,  were 
burned;  and  communities  of  a  purer  religious  faith 
and  practice,  like  the  Albigenses,  were  exterminated 
by  fire  and  sword.  The  mass,  in  which  the  conse- 
crated elements  are  offered  to  God  as  a  sacrifice  for 
the  living  and  the  dead,  became  the  central  point  in 
worship.  The  preaching  of  the  truth,  through  which 
men's  hearts  and  lives  are  transformed,  fell  into  disuse. 
By  means  of  indulgences,  sin  could  in  a  measure  be 
compounded  for  with  money.  The  distinguishing 
features  of  a  religious  life  were  not  love  and  obedience 
to  God,  but  pilgrimages,  flagellations,  and  fastings. 
Religion  became  a  thing  of  outward  observances,  not 
of  inward  piety.  Myconius,  who  was  long  a  monk, 

*Ullmann,  Reformers  before  the  Reformation,  Vol.  I.,  194. 


2O  LUTHER   ON    EDUCATION. 

but  afterwards  a  fellow-laborer  of  Luther's,  has  given  a 
graphic  picture  of  the  religious  life  of  the  period: 
"  The  sufferings  and  merit  of  Christ  were  looked  upon 
as  an  idle  tale,  or  as  the  fictions  of  Homer.  There 
was  no  thought  of  the  faith  by  which  we  become  par- 
takers of  the  Saviour's  righteousness  and  of  the  heri- 
tage of  eternal  life.  Christ  was  looked  upon  as  a 
severe  judge,  prepared  to  condemn  all  who  should  not 
have  recourse  to  the  intercession  of  the  saints,  or  to 
the  papal  indulgences.  Other  intercessors  appeared 
in  his  place ;  first  the  Virgin  Mary,  like  the  Diana  of 
paganism,  and  then  the  saints,  whose  numbers  were 
continually  augmented  by  the  Popes.  These  media- 
tors granted  their  intercession  only  to  such  applicants 
as  had  deserved  well  of  the  Orders  founded  by  them. 
For  this  it  was  necessary  to  do,  not  what  God  had 
commanded  in  his  Word,  but  to  perform  a  number  of 
works  invented  by  monks  and  priests,  and  which 
brought  money  to  the  treasury.  These  works  were 
Ave  Marias,  the  prayers  of  Saint  Ursula  and  of  Saint 
Bridget:  they  must  chant  and  cry  night  and  day. 
There  were  as  many  resorts  for  pilgrims  as  there  were 
mountains,  forests,  and  valleys.  But  these  penances 
might  be  compounded  for  with  money.  The  people, 
therefore,  brought  to  the  convents  and  to  the  priests 

money  and  everything    that    had   any  value — fowls, 

t 


CAUSES    OF   THE    REFORMATION.  21 

ducks,  geese,  eggs,  wax,  straw,  butter  and  cheese. 
Then  the  hymns  resounded,  the  bells  rang,  incense 
filled  the  sanctuary,  sacrifices  were  offered  up,  the 
larder  overflowed,  the  glasses  went  round,  and  masses 
terminated  and  concealed  these  pious  orgies.  The 
bishops  no  longer  preached,  but  they  consecrated 
priests,  bells,  monks,  churches,  chapels,  images,  books, 
and  cemeteries;  and  all  this  brought  in  a  large  revenue. 
Bones,  arms,  and  feet  were  preserved  in  gold  and  silver 
boxes ;  they  were  given  out  during  mass  for  the  faith- 
ful to  kiss,  and  this,  too,  was  a  source  of  great  profit."* 
It  is  not  to  be  denied  that  in  the  externalism  of 
which  we  have  been  speaking,  there  was  something 
adapted  to  an  uncultivated  age,  incapable  of  high  spir- 
itual emotion.  The  Papacy  may  be  regarded  as  a 
natural  historical  development,  though  embodying  an 
error  destined  to  work  its  ruin.  A  special  priestly 
class  was  helpful  in  administering  the  affairs  of  the 
Church,  and  in  governing  the  lawlessness  of  an  un- 
disciplined people.  An  imposing  ritual  served  to  in- 
spire religious  awe  at  a  time  when  simpler  ministra- 
tions might  have  left  the  heart  untouched.  But  at  the 
period  of  the  Reformation,  the  Teutonic  nations  had 

*Myconius,  History  of  the  Reformation.  This  extract  is 
taken  from  D'Aubigne.  Myconius  was  held  in  high  esteem  by 
Luther  and  Melancthon. 


22  LUTHER   ON   EDUCATION. 

outgrown  this  externalism,  and  apart  from  its  abuses 
they  began  to  long  for  something  higher  and  better. 
Their  deep  religious  nature,  no  longer  satisfied  with 
forms  and  symbols,  demanded  a  spiritual  Christianity, 
in  which  the  soul  might  be  united  with  God,  and  life 
in  its  ordinary  duties  be  sanctified  as  a  divine  service. 
This  feeling  found  expression  in  the  mystics  of  the  four- 
teenth century,  who  were  characterized  by  an  inward 
piety.  It  was  manifested  also  at  the  reformatory 
Councils  of  Constance  and  Basel.  It  is  found  in  the 
writings  of  such  men  as  Wyclif  and  Huss,  and  also, 
on  a  larger  scale,  in  the  doctrine  and  practice  of  the 
Waldenses.  When  at  length  Luther  proposed  a  re- 
turn to  the  Christianity  of  the  New  Testament,  he 
had  the  support  of  Germany. 

4.  Another  cause  of  the  Reformation  is  found  in 
he  pretensions  of  the  Papacy  to  temporal  power,  and 
in  the  growth  of  a  national  feeling  in  the  several 
countries  of  Europe.  The  Papacy,  as  it  existed  at 
the  time  of  the  Reformation,  was  the  result  of  a  de- 
velopment extending  through  many  centuries.  Step 
by  step,  from  the  congregational  polity  of  the  apos- 
tolic church,  the  episcopal  power  increased,  until  under 
Gregory  VII.,  in  the  eleventh  century,  it  reached 
its  climax  in  the  universal  supremacy  of  the  Roman 
pontiff.  "The  world,"  says  Gregory,  "is  governed 


CAUSES    OF   THE    REFORMATION.  2$ 

by  two  lights — by  the  sun,  which  is  greater,  and  by 
the  moon,  which  is  less.  The  apostolic  power  is  the 
sun ;  the  royal  power,  the  moon.  For  as  the  latter 
has  its  light  from  the  former,  so  do  emperors,  and 
kings,  and  princes,  receive  power  through  the  Pope, 
who  receives  it  from  God.  Thus  the  power  of  the 
Roman  chair  is  greater  than  the  power  of  the  throne, 
and  the  king  is  subordinate  to  the  Pope,  and  bound  to 
obey  him."*  The  Papacy,  as  we  see,  aimed  at  a 
theocracy,  in  which  the  pontiff,  as  vicar  of  Christ, 
was  to  possess  universal  dominion.  This  power  was 
not  simply  theoretical,  but  also  practical.  In  the  long 
conflicts  between  the  Popes  and  the  sovereigns  of 
Europe,  it  was  frequently  exercised.  The  Roman 
pontiff  seated  and  dethroned  kings.  He  placed 
nations  under  the  ban,  cutting  off  every  religious 
privilege  and  comfort.  He  sought  to  exempt  eccle- 
siastics, no  matter  how  flagrant  their  crimes,  from 
secular  jurisdiction.  He  acquired  temporal  dominion, 
interfered  with  secular  authority,  formed  political  alli- 
ances, waged  cruel  wars. 

But  while  the  Papacy  was  at  the  very  height  of  its 
power,  a  mighty  influence  was  slowly  but  surely 

*  This  is  a  famous  passage.  It  is  found  in  various  church 
histories.  As  here  given,  it  is  translated  from  Kohlraush, 
Deutsche  Geschichte. 


24  LUTHER   ON    EDUCATION. 

undermining  its  authority.  From  various  causes,  the 
several  nations  of  Europe — Germany,  France,  Spain, 
England — were  acquiring  a  strong  self-consciousness. 
It  was  a  part  of  that  general  progress  manifest  in  all 
Europe  toward  the  close  of  the  Middle  Ages.  In 
every  country  a  spirit  of  patriotism  was  awakened — a 
spirit  that  opposed  all  interference  on  the  part  of  a 
foreign  prince,  even  when  clothed  with  supreme  eccle- 
siastical dignity.  Papal  pecuniary  exactions  met  with 
increasing  opposition  ;  papal  bulls  were  sometimes  dis- 
regarded or  resisted;  reverence  for  the  Pope  as  head 
of  the  Church  declined  among  princes  and  people. 
Louis  XII.,  of  France,  had  a  medal  struck  with  the  in- 
scription, "  Perdam  Babylonis  nomen — I  will  destroy 
the  name  of  Babylon."  Maximilian,  of  Austria,  speak- 
ing of  Leo  X.,  by  whom  he  had  been  deceived,  said, 
"  This  Pope  also,  in  my  opinion,  is  a  scoundrel.  I 
may  now  say  that  never  in  my  life  has  any  Pope  kept 
his  faith  or  his  word  with  me."  During  the  so-called 
Babylonish  captivity  of  the  Papacy  at  Avignon,  in  the 
fourteenth  century,  its  sympathy  with  French  interests, 
and  its  subserviency  to  French  kings,  intensified  this 
national  feeling  against  the  Popes.  The  literary  mind 
in  the  several  countries  of  Europe  led  a  reaction 
against  Roman  domination.  The  vernacular  languages, 
which  toward  the  close  of  the  Middle  Ages  began  to 


CAUSES    OF   THE    REFORMATION.  2$ 

assume  a  literary  form,  were  made  the  media  of  sharp 
and  unceasing  attacks  upon  the  avarice,  tyranny,  and 
degeneracy  of  the  papal  hierarchy.  Walther  von  der 
Vogelweide,  the  best  of  the  Minnesingers  of  the  thir- 
teenth century,  says  that  "  the  Pope  himself  increases 
infidelity,  for  he  leads  the  clergy  by  the  devil's  rein ; 
they  are  -full  of  vices,  they  do  not  practice  what  they 
preach,  and  he  who  is  a  Christian  in  words  only,  and 
not  in  deeds,  is  really  half  a  heathen."  In  the  Pro- 
logue to  the  Canterbury  Tales,  Chaucer,  along  with  an 
inimitable  portrait  of  a  faithful  village  pastor,  depicts 
the  coarse  sensuality  of  a  friar,  and  the  shallo>v  fraud 
of  a  pardoner  or  indulgence  vender  : 

"  Whose  walet  lay  biforn  hym  in  his  lappe 

Brimful  of  pardon,  come  from  Rome  all  hot.         , 
*  *  *  *  * 

But  of  his  craft,  fro  Berwyk  unto  Ware 
Ne  was  there  such  another  pardoner ; 
For  in  his  male1  he  had  a  pilwebeer2 
Which,  that  he  seyde,  was  cure  lady  veyl ; 
He  said  he  had  a  gobet3  of  the  seyl 
Thatte  St.  Peter  hadde  whan  that  he  wente 
Upon  the  sea,  til  Jhesu  Crist  hym  hente.* 
He  had  a  croys  of  latoun5  full  of  stones 
And  in  a  glas  he  hadde  pigges  bones." 

Valise.    *  Pillow-case.    3  Piece.    *Took. 
*  A  kind  of  tinned  iron. 


26  LUTHER   ON   EDUCATION. 

Thus,  on  every  hand,  was  gathering  a  storm  that 
needed  only  a  favorable  opportunity  to  burst  upon 
V  Rome. 

5.  Behind  all  these  causes  we  must  not  forget  the 
providence  of  God.  He  is  ever  present  in  the  great 
movements  of  succeeding  generations.  Though  His 
presence  is  unrecognized  by  the  heedless  multitude,  it 
becomes  manifest  to  the  devout  inquirer  who,  turning 
away  from  the  distracting  turmoil  of  human  events, 
seeks  in  all  things  an  ultimate  cause  and  an  intelligent 
purpose.  God  in  history  is  a  great  fact,  an  invaluable 
lesson  coming  to  us  from  the  Old  Testament,  a  mighty 
truth  that  gathers  up  what  is  seemingly  fragmentary 
in  human  affairs,  and  binds  them  together  in  the  sym- 
metry of  a  majestic  temple.  Not  alone  for  the  advent 
of  Christ,  but  for  every  significant  epoch  in  the  world's 
progress,  there  is  a  "  fullness  of  time."  The  history 
of  mankind  is  not  a  chaos.  The  hand  of  God  is 
especially  manifest  in  the  Reformation.  The  favoring 
circumstances  that  we  have  considered,  were  not,  as 
some  believe,  a  fortuitous  concurrence,  but  an  intelli- 
gent preparation  for  a  new  era  of  human  advance- 
ment. 

When  everything  was  ready,  the  reformatory  work 
began.  Its  immediate  occasion  was  Tetzel's  sale  of 
indulgences.  According  to  the  Romish  faith,  "an 


CAUSES   OF  THE    REFORMATION.  2/ 

indulgence  is  a  remission  of  that  temporal  punish- 
ment which,  even  after  the  sin  is  forgiven,  we  have 
yet  to  undergo,  either  here  or  in  purgatory." 

The  Church,  it  is  claimed,  has  an  inexhaustible 
treasure  of  the  merits  of  Christ  and  his  saints,  which 
the  Pope  can  draw  upon  at  any  time  to  make  up 
deficiencies  in  individual  members.  At  the  time  of 
the  Reformation,  this  doctrine  had  given  rise  to  gross 
abuses.  This  fact  was  recognized  by  the  Council  of 
Trent,  which,  after  declaring  that  the  use  of  indul- 
gences should  be  retained  in  the  Church,  continues  in 
its  decree:  "Nevertheless,  the  Council  desires  that 
moderation  be  shown  in  granting  them,  according  to 
the  ancient  and  approved  custom  of  the  Church,  lest 
by  too  much  laxity  ecclesiastical  discipline  be  weak- 
ened. Anxious  moreover  to  correct  and  amend  the 
abuses  that  have  crept  in,  and  by  reason  of  which  the 
honorable  name  of  indulgences  is  blasphemed  by  the 
heretics,  the  Council  determines  generally  by  this 
present  decree,  that  all  wicked  gains  accruing  from 
them,  which  have  been  the  principal  source  of  these 
abuses,  shall  be  wholly  abolished."  *  The  abuses 
"  proceeding  from  superstition,  ignorance,  and  irrever- 
ence" are  referred  by  the  Council  to  the  several  bish- 

*  Smets,  Concilii  Tridentini,  Sessio  XXV.  Schaff.  Creeds  of 
Christendom,  Vol.  II. 


28  LUTHER   ON   EDUCATION. 

ops.  Let  us  inquire  a  little  more  closely  into  the 
nature  of  these  abuses. 

In  order  to  provide  funds  for  the  completion  of  St. 
Peter's  at  Rome,  Leo  X.  had  ordered  a  sale  of  in- 
dulgences. In  1517  John  Tetzel,  acting  as  agent  for 
Albert,  elector  of  Mayence,  appeared  at  Jiiterbock,  not 
far  from  Wittenberg,  and  proceeded  to  dispose  of  his 
wares.  Shrewd  and  unscrupulous,  he  extolled  the 
virtue  of  indulgences  in  a  shameless  and  even  blas- 
phemous manner.  "  His  red  cross  with  the  Pope's 
arms,"  Tetzel  said,  "was  as  efficacious  as  the  cross  of 

Christ.     In  heaven  he  would  not  exchange  places  with 
i 

St.  Peter,  for  he  had  saved  more  souls  with  his  indul- 
gences than  the  apostle  had  saved  with  his  gospel. 
The  grace  of  indulgences  was  precisely  the  grace  by 
which  man  was  reconciled  with  God.  Sorrow  for  sin 
was  not  necessary  when  an  indulgence  was  bought ; 
and  as  soon  as  the  money  rattled  in  the  chest,  the  soul 
leaped  from  purgatory  into  heaven.  Such  great  grace 
and  power  had  been  conferred  upon  him  at  Rome,  that 
if  any  one  had  done  violence  to  the  Virgin  Mary,  he 
could  forgive  it,  together  with  future  sins,  if  the  of- 
fender paid  a  sufficient  sum  of  money."*  Without  re- 

*  Matthesius,  Leben  Luther's,  Zweites  Predigt.  See  also 
Meurer,  Life  of  Luther,  and  D'Aubigne,  History  of  Reforma- 
tion. 


CAUSES    OF   THE    REFORMATION.  29 

pentance,  all  the  penalties  of  sin  were  removed,  and 
heaven  was  gained  by  money.  Tetzel  had  even  fixed 
a  scale  of  prices  for  particular  sins.  For  polygamy  the 
charge  was  six  ducats;  for  sacrilege  and  perjury,  nine 
ducats ;  for  murder,  eight  ducats ;  for  witchcraft,  two 
ducats.  Such  were  some  of  the  abuses  of  this  infamous 
traffic. 

leather  at  this  time  was  a  professor,  preacher,  and 
pastor  at  Wittenberg,  In  the  confessional,  some  of  his 
people  who  had  attended  Tetzel's  auction  acknowl- 
edged gross  sins — adultery,  licentiousness,  usury,  ill- 
gotten  gains ;  and  when  Luther  sought  to  correct  them, 
they  refused  to  amend  their  lives.  They  appealed  to 
their  indulgences,  which  Luther  would  not  recognize; 
and  in  the  language  oi  the  Scripture  he  declared  unto 
them,  "  Except  ye  repent,  ye  shall  all  likewise  perish." 
Having  thus  seen  the  demoralizing  effect  of  indulgences 
upon  the  religious  life,  and  having  also  learned  of 
Tetzel's  blasphemous  pretensions,  he  prepared  ninety- 
five  theses  or  propositions  which  were  aimed  at  the 
abuses  of  the  traffic,  but  which  in  reality  undermined 
the  doctrine  of  indulgences  itself.  "  When  our  Lord 
and  Master  Jesus  Christ  said,  Repent  ye,  etc.,  he  meant 
that  the  whole  earthly  life  of  believers  should  be  a  re- 
pentance (Thesis  i).  .  .  The  Pope  has  neither  the  will 
nor  the  power  to  remit  any  penalties,  except  those 


3O  LUTHER   ON    EDUCATION. 

which  he  has  imposed  by  his  own  authority,  or  by  that 
of  the  canons  of  the  Church  (5).  .  .  Those  preachers 
of  indulgences  are  in  error  who  say  that,  by  the  indul- 
gences of  the  Pope,  a  man  is  loosed  and  saved  from 
all  punishment  (21).  .  .  They  preach  the  vain  fancies 
of  man,  who  say  that  the  soul  flies  out  of  purgatory 
as  soon  as  the  money  rattles  in  the  chest  (27).  .  . 
Those  who  believe  that  through  letters  of  pardon  they 

• 

are  made  sure  of  their  own  salvation,  will  be  eternally 
damned  along  with  their  teachers  (32).  We  must 
especially  beware  of  those  who  say  that  these  pardons 
from  the  Pope  are  that  inestimable  gift  of  God,  by 
which  man  is  reconciled  to  God  (33).  ...  They  preach 
no  Christian  doctrine  who  teach  that  sorrow  or  repent- 
ance is  not  necessary  for  those  who  buy  souls  out  of 
purgatory,  or  buy  confessional  licenses  (35).  Every 
Christian  who  truly  repents  of  his  sins  has  of  right 
plenary  remission  of  pain  and  guilt,  even  without  let- 
ters of  pardon  (36).  .  .  To  say  that  the  cross  set  up 
among  the  insignia  of  the  papal  arms  is  of  equal  power 
with  the  cross  of  Christ,  is  blasphemy  (79)." 

These  theses  were  nailed  on  the  door  of  the  church 
of  All  Saints,  at  Wittenberg,  Oct.  31,  1517,  and  Luther 
offered  to  defend  them  against  all  comers.  A  papal 
agent  and  an  accepted  doctrine  were  attacked.  In  the 
issue  thus  joined,  the  Reformation  had  its  beginning. 


CAUSES   OF   THE    REFORMATION.  3! 

Summing  up  the  results  of  this  inquiry,  we  may  say 
that  the  Reformation  was  due  chiefly  to  the  following 
co-operative  causes : 

1.  A  reaction,  brought  about  by  the  increased  intel- 
ligence of  the  people,  against  ecclesiastical  oppression. 

2.  The  corrupt  condition  of  the  Church  in  doctrine 
and  practice. 

3.  The  external  character  imposed  upon  Christianity 
by  the  Papacy. 

4.  The  pretensions  of  the  Popes  to  temporal  power 
in  the  presence  of  a  growing  national  spirit. 

5.  Back  of  these  causes,  the  providence  of  God, 
which  arranged  the  "  fullness  of  time,"  and  raised  up 
the  proper  agent. 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE  PAPACY  AND  POPULAB  EDUCATION. 

'"PHE  Papacy  must  be  distinguished  from  the  Roman 
•*•  Catholic  Church.  According  to  authoritative 
Catholic  standards,  the  Church  is  composed  of  all  the 
faithful  who  have  been  baptized,  profess  the  same  doc- 
trine, partake  of  the  same  sacraments,  and  are  gov- 
erned by  one  visible  head,  the  Pope.  Accepting  this 
definition,  external  and  defective  as  it  is,  we  cheerfully 
recognize  in  the  Roman  Catholic  communion  the  ex- 
istence of  evangelical  piety.  At  the  present  time,  as 
in  the  past,  it  contains  many  God-fearing  men  and 
women.  The  Papacy  is  the  governing  power  of  the 
Church.  In  its  aims  and  methods,  and  in  some  of  its 
teachings,  even  when  administered  by  pious  men,  it  is 
mischievous,  tyrannical,  and  anti-Christian.  It  is  the 
relation  of  the  Papacy  to  popular  education  that  is  to 
be  considered.  While  the  Roman  Church  as  a  whole 
entertains  the  same  views,  it  is  not  primarily  responsi- 
ble for  them.  The  Church  simply  obeys  the  orders 
of  its  official  leaders. 

The  Papacy,  with  all  its  boasted  unity,  has  not  al- 
I?) 


THE    PAPACY   AND    POPULAR    EDUCATION.  33 

ways  been  at  one  with  itself.     Two  antagonistic  views 
have  existed  for  centuries  in  regard  to  the  powers  of 
the  See  of  Rome.     The  Gallican  or  episcopal  view,, 
represented   by  many  distinguished  prelates  and  de- 
fended by  the  Councils  of  Constance  and  Basel,  makes> 
the  Church   the  ultimate  source  of  authority.     The 
Pope  is  but  the  administrative  head  of  the  Church.. 
The  Church  finds  utterance  in  its  General  Councils,., 
which  are  superior  to  the  Pope,  and  competent  to  pass> 
laws  binding  upon  him.     This  view  restricts  the  Pope's . 
jurisdiction  to  spiritual  things,  and  forbids  his  interfec'-- 
ence  in  political  affairs.     It  harmonizes  papal  suprem- 
acy with  national  independence.     It  is  called  Gallican, 
because  its  exemplification  and  its  leading  advocates 
as  Gerson  and  Bossuet,  were  found  in  France. 

The  opposite  of  Gallicanism  is  Ultramontanism. 
The  Ultramontane  view  makes  the  Pope  the  vicar  of 
Christ  on  earth.  As  such  he  is  the  source' of  all 
power,  both  spiritual  and  temporal.  The  Church  is 
under  his  absolute  control.  In  his  official  utterances, 
he  is  incapable  of  erring.  Princes  are  bound  to  obey 
him ;  and  when  he  deems  it  desirable  for  the  interests 
of  the  Church,  he  may  resist  or  depose  them.  All 
episcopal  authority  is  derived  from  him.  It  is  his  pre- 
rogative to  call  Councils,  to  watch  over  their  proceed- 
ings, and  to  give  validity  to  their  decrees.  He  is  the 


34  LUTHER   ON    EDUCATION. 

universal  teacher  of  the  Church,  the  authoritative  in- 
terpreter of  Scripture,  and  the  source  of  all  doctrine. 
When  the  decree  of  papal  infallibility  was  passed  by 
the  Vatican  Council  in  1870,  Ultramontanism  was 
given  a  permanent  ascendency.  On  this  line  the 
Roman  Church  is  now  working  out  its  destiny.  It  is 
the  purpose  of  the  Papacy  to  secure  universal  suprem- 
acy; and  it  is  this  fact  that  renders  it  a  constant  men- 
ace and  danger  to  existing  institutions. 

The  organization  of  the  Church,  which  embodies 
the  practical  wisdom  of  ages,  is  exceedingly  compact. 
The  laity  are  bound  to  obey  the  priest ;  the  priest,  the 
bishop  ;  and  the  bishop,  the  Pope.  This  arrangement 
is  supported  in  a  surprising  manner  by  doctrines, 
oaths,  and  penalties,  and  is  designed  to  give  the  Pope 
absolute  control  of  the  clergy  and  laity  throughout 
the  world. 

In  the  "  Dogmatic  Decrees  of  the  Vatican  Council " 
of  1870,  it  is  said  that  "all  the  faithful  of  Christ  must 
believe,  that  the  holy  Apostolic  See  and  the  Roman 
pontiff  possesses  the  primacy  over  the  world,  and  that  the 
Roman  pontiff  is  the  successor  of  the  blessed  Peter, 
Prince  of  Apostles,  and  is  the  true  vicar  of  Christ,  and 
head  of  the  whole  Church,  and  father  and  teacher  of 
all  Christians;  and  that  full  power  was  given  to  him  in 
blessed  Peter  to  rule,  feed,  and  govern  the  universal 


THE   PAPACY   AND    POPULAR    EDUCATION.  35 

Church  by  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord."  A  careful  reading 
of  these  decrees  in  the  light  of  history  fully  justifies 
Mr.  Gladstone's  judgment,  that  they  "  in  the  strictest 
sense  establish  for  the  Pope  supreme  command  over 
loyal  and  civil  duty."*  Every  Catholic  layman, 
whether  he  realizes  it  or  not,  is  bound  by  his  connec- 
tion with  the  Church  to  yield  in  all  things  obedience 
to  the  Pope.  His  ballot  and  the  education  of  his  chil- 
dren are  subject  to  the  Roman  pontiff.  In  view  of 
these  facts,  Bismarck  was  right  when  he  said  in  1875, 
"  This  Pope,  this  foreigner,  this  Italian,  is  more  power- 
ful in  this  country  than  any  one  person,  not  excepting 
even  the  King." 

The  authority  of  the  Pope  over  the  clergy  is  con- 
firmed by  an  oath.  After  requiring  fidelity  and  obedi- 
ence to  the  Roman  pontiff,  the  form  of  oath  continues : 
"The  rights,  honors,  privileges  and  authority  of  the 
holy  Roman  Church,  of  our  lord  the  Pope,  and  his 
aforesaid  successors,  I  will  endeavor  to  preserve,  de- 
fend, increase,  and  advance.  I  will  not  be  in  any 
counsel,  action,  or  treaty,  in  which  shall  be  plotted 
against  our  said  lord,  and  the  said  Roman  Church, 
any  thing  to  the  hurt  or  prejudice  of  their  persons, 
rights,  honor,  state,  or  power ;  and  if  I  shall  know  of 
any  such  thing  to  be  treated  by  any  whatsoever,  I  will 

*  Vaticanism,  p.  7. 


36  LUTHER    ON   EDUCATION. 

hinder  it  to  my  power ;  and  as  soon  as  I  can,  I  will 
signify  it  to  our  said  lord,  or  to  some  other,  by  whom 
it  may  come  to  his  knowledge  .  .  .  Heretics,  schis- 
matics, and  rebels  to  our  said  lord  or  his  aforesaid 
successors,  I  will  to  my  power  persecute  and  oppose."* 
The  Constitution  of  the  United  States  forbids  the 
establishment  of  a  state  religion,  and  guarantees  lib- 
erty of  conscience,  and  freedom  of  the  press.  Our 
naturalization  laws  require  that  "  the  alien  seeking  to 
be  naturalized  shall  make  oath  that  he  will  support 
the  Constitution  of  the  United  States,  and  that  he 
absolutely  and  entirely  renounces  and  abjures  all 
allegiance  and  fidelity  to  every  foreign  prince,  poten- 
tate, or  sovereignty,  particularly  the  state  or  sove- 
reignty of  which  he  has  been  a  subject."  Our  institu- 
tions are  opposed  to  the  principles  of  the  Papacy. 
No  Roman  prelate  of  foreign  birth  can  take  the  nat- 
uralization oath  without  perjury  or  disloyalty  to  the 
Pope.  In  holding  to  Ultramontanism,  the  Roman 
clergy  of  this  country  are  a  body  of  aliens,  whose 
principles  are  at  war  with  American  institutions. 
\  The  doctrines  and  discipline  of  the  Roman  Church 

*  Pontificate  Romanum.  The  last  sentence  in  the  original 
reads :  "  Haereticos,  Schismaticos  et  Rebelles  eidem  Domino 
nostro  vel  successoribus  praedictis  pro  posse  persequar  et  im- 
pugnabo." 


THE  PAPACY  AND  POPULAR  EDUCATION.      37 

are  marvelously  adapted  to  maintain  and  perpetuate 
the  power  of  the  Papacy.  A  hierarchy  is  established 
between  the  laity  and  God — a  hierarchy  through 
which  as  a  channel  salvation  is  communicated.  The 
sacrifice  of  the  mass  is  the  central  thing  in  worship. 
By  means  of  this  sacrifice,  the  priest  makes  an  offer- 
ing to  God  for  the  sins  of  the  living  and  the  dead. 
According  to  the  doctrine  of  indulgences,  the  Pope 
can  draw  upon  the  treasury  of  supererogatory  merits 
to  supply  the  deficiencies  of  needy  members.  Through 
auricular  confession,  the  priest  obtains  possession  of 
the  inmost  secrets  of  individuals  and  families.  In  the 
case  of  disobedience,  the  Church  imposes  severe  pen- 
alties; and  where  it  is  free  to  use  external  force,  it 
resorts  at  last  to  the  stake.  With  such  a  system,  it  is 
not  strange  that  Roman  ecclesiastics  have  almost  un- 
limited power  over  their  members.  Resistance  to 
priestly  authority  not  only  subjects  the  laity  to  tem- 
poral persecution,  but  it  also  cuts  them  off,  as  they 
are  taught  to  believe,  from  the  hope  of  eternal  life. 

In  the  light  of  the  foregoing  statement  of  facts  and 
principles,  we  are  better  prepared  to  consider  a  num- 
ber of  points  relating  directly  or  indirectly  to  popular 
education,  especially  in  this  country. 

I.  The  idea  of  temporal  power  is  inherent  in  the 
Ultramontane  conception  of  the  Papacy.  As  the  rep- 


38  LUTHER    ON    EDUCATION. 

resentative  of  God  in  the  world,  the  Pope  is  logically 
the  source  of  all  authority,  whether  ecclesiastical  or 
secular.  Civil  rulers  are  bound  to  obey  him.  In  the 
famous  bull,  Unam  sanctam,  of  Boniface  VIII.,  it  is 
declared  that  "  The  spiritual  sword  is  to  be  used  by 
the  Church,  but  the  carnal  sword  for  the  Church. 
The  one  in  the  hands  of  the  priest,  the  other  in  the 
hands  of  kings  and  soldiers,  but  at  the  will  and 
pleasure  of  the  priest.  It  is  right  that  the  temporal 
sword  and  authority  be  subject  to  the  spiritual  power. 
.  .  Moreover,  we  declare,  say,  define,  and  pronounce, 
that  every  human  being  should  be  subject  to  the 
Roman  pontiff."  The  Papacy  at  the  present  day  has 
not  receded  from  its  claims  during  the  Middle  Ages. 
The  papal  "  Syllabus  of  Errors"  of  1864,  which  must 
now  be  regarded  as  an  infallible  and  irreformable 
declaration  of  principles,  condemns  the  following 
propositions :  "  24.  The  Church  has  not  the  power  of 
availing  herself  of  force,  or  any  direct  or  indirect 
temporal  power  .  .  .  27.  The  ministers  of  the  Church 
and  the  Roman  pontiff  ought  to  be  absolutely  ex- 
cluded from,  all  charge  and  dominion  over  temporal 
affairs.  .  .  42.  In  the  case  of  conflicting  laws  between 
the  two  powers,  the  civil  law  ought  to  prevail."  In 
this  same  Syllabus  it  is  declared  that  the  Church  is 
absolutely  independent  of  the  State  in  the  exercise  of 


THE  PAPACY  AND  POPULAR  EDUCATION.      39 

authority;  that  the  obligations  of  Catholic  teachers 
and  authors  are  not  confined  to  dogmas  of  faith;  that 
Roman  pontiffs  have  never  exceeded  the  limits  of 
their  power;  that  the  Church  has  the  innate  and  le- 
gitimate right  of  acquisition  and  possession;  and  that 
the  immunity  of  the  Church  and  of  ecclesiastical  per- 
sons is  not  derived  from  the  civil  law.  In  these  state- 
ments the  Papacy  shows  itself  to-day  what  it  has  been 
in  the  past ;  it  disowns  no  part  of  its  history,  and  re- 
affirms the  preposterous  claims  of  the  Middle  Ages. 
It  is  a  mistake  to  suppose  that  the  Papacy  has  been 
influenced  in  its  essential  principles  by  modern  pro- 
gress. Lulled  by  this  belief,  we  have  become  some- 
what indifferent  to  the  schemes  and  efforts  of  its  rep- 
resentatives. In  the  "  Syllabus  of  Errors  "  already 
referred  to,  the  proposition  is  explicitly  condemned 
that  "  the  Roman  pontiff  can  and  ought  to  reconcile 
himself  to  and  agree  with  progress,  liberalism,  and 
civilization,  as  lately  introduced."  By  this  declara- 
tion the  Pope  shows  himself  out  of  sympathy  with 
modern  civilization,  and  opposed  to  its  broad  and 
tolerant  spirit.  He  places  himself  at  the  head  of  a 
reactionary  body,  that  seeks  to  set  up  again  the  des- 
potic reign  of  the  dark  ages. 

2.  The  Papacy  specifically  repudiates  religious  free- 
dom.    This  is  consistent  with  its  fundamental  claim. 


4O  LUTHER    ON    EDUCATION. 

As  the  infallible  source  of  all  religious  truth,  it  is 
necessarily  intolerant.  The  Syllabus  condemns  the 
two  following  propositions :  "  77.  In  the  present  day, 
it  is  no  longer  expedient  that  the  Catholic  religion 
shall  be  held  as  the  only  religion  of  the  State,  to  the 
exclusion  of  all  other  modes  of  worship.  78.  Whence 
it  has  been  wisely  provided  by  law,  in  some  countries 
called  Catholic,  that  persons  coming  to  reside  therein 
shall  enjoy  the  public  exercise  of  their  own  worship." 
The  desire  and  aim  of  the  Papacy  is  to  establish  the 
Roman  Catholic  religion  in  every  country,  to  exclude 
every  other  form  of  worship  and  belief,  and  if  neces- 
sary to  impose  its  faith  by  force  upon  all  men.  The 
Syllabus  denies  that  "  Every  man  is  free  to  embrace 
and  profess  the  religion  he  shall  believe  true,  guided 
by  the  light  of  reason."  Religious  liberty  is  toler- 
ated by  the  Papacy  only  where  it  can  not  be  success- 
fully resisted. 

The  Papacy  has  not  relaxed  in  its  bitterness  toward 
Protestantism.  Protestants  are  declared  to  be  exposed 
to  the  pains  of  eternal  damnation,  and  every  prelate  is 
sworn  to  oppose  them.  The  papal  bull  In  Coena 
Domini  clearly  sets  forth  the  attitude  of  the  Roman 
See  toward  heretics  and  infringers  of  its  privileges. 
This  bull  was  formerly  read  every  year  at  Easter  time, 
but  in  1770,  though  its  principles  are  still  binding  on 


THE   PAPACY   AND    POPULAR    EDUCATION.  4! 

the  Papacy,  its  annual  promulgation  was  discontinued 
from  considerations  of  expediency.  "  In  the  name  of 
God  Almighty,  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost,  and  by 
the  authority  of  the  blessed  apostles,  Peter  and  Paul, 
and  by  our  own,  we  excommunicate  and  anathematize 
all  Hussites,  Wyclifites,  Lutherans,  Zwinglians,  Calvin- 
ists,  Huguenots,  Anabaptists,  and  other  apostates  from 
the  faith ;  and  all  other  heretics,  by  whatsoever  name 
they  are  called  or  of  whatsoever  sect  they  may  be. 
And  also  their  adherents,  receivers,  favorers,  and  gen- 
erally any  defenders  of  them ;  with  all  who,  without  our 
authority  or  that  of  the  Apostolic  See,  knowingly  read 
or  retain,  or  in  any  way  or  from  any  cause,  publicly 
or  privately,  or  from  any  pretext,  defend  their  books 
containing  heresy  or  treating  of  religion ;  as  also  schis- 
matics, and  those  who  withdraw  themselves,  or  recede 
obstinately  from  their  obedience  to  us  or  the  existing 
Roman  pontiff."  The  Rambler,  a  Catholic  paper  of 
London,  is  merely  consistent  and  outspoken  in  the  fol- 
lowing extract:  "Religious  liberty,  in  the  sense  of  a 
liberty  possessed  by  every  man  to  choose  his  religion, 
is  one  of  the  most  wicked  delusions  ever  foisted  upon 
this  age  by  the  father  of  all  deceit.  The  very  name  of 
liberty — except  in  the  sense  of  a  permission  to  do  cer- 
tain definite  acts — ought  to  be  banished  from  the  do- 
main of  religion.  It  is  neither  more  nor  less  than  a 


42  LUTHER    ON    EDUCATION. 

falsehood.  No  man  has  a  right  to  choose  his  religion. 
None  but  an  atheist  can  uphold  the  principles  of  relig- 
ious liberty.  Shall  I  foster  that  damnable  doctrine 
that  Socinianism,  and  Calvinism,  and  Anglicanism, 
and  Judaism,  are  not  every  one  of  them  mortal  sins, 
like  murder  and  adultery  ?  Shall  I  hold  out  hopes  to 
my  erring  Protestant  brother  that  I  will  not  meddle 
with  his  creed  if  he  will  not  meddle  with  mine? 
Shall  I  tempt  him  to  forget  that  he  has  no  more  fight 
to  his  religious  views  than  he  has  to  my  purse,  to  my 
house,  or  to  my  life-blood?  No,  Catholicism  is  the 
most  intolerant  of  creeds.  It  is  intolerance  itself;  for  it 
is  truth  itself."*  Roman  Catholics  in  this  country  have 
predicted  that  men  now  living  would  see  the  majority 
of  the  people  of  the  United  States  papists ;  that  Cath- 
olicism is  destined  to  become  the  State  religion ;  and 
that  plans  are  in  operation  for  gaining  a  complete  vic- 
tory over  Protestantism. 

3.  The  Papacy  does  not  tolerate  intellectual  free- 
dom. In  his  function  as  universal  teacher,  the  Pope 
claims  authority  over  the  intellects  of  men.  In  an  al- 
locution condemning  the  Christian  League,  an  organi- 
zation for  the  circulation  of  the  Scriptures  in  Italy, 
Gregory  XVI.  speaks  as  follows:  "Accordingly  it  is 
your  duty  to  remove  from  the  hands  of  the  faithful 
*  Our  Country,  p.  48. 


THE  PAPACY  AND  POPULAR  EDUCATION.      43 

Bibles  translated  into  the  vulgar  tongue,  such  as  have 
been  published  contrary  to  the  decrees  of  the  Roman 
pontiffs,  and  all  other  prohibited  or  dangerous  books, 
and  to  see  that  the  faithful  themselves  by  your  admoni- 
tions and  authority  may  learn  what  kind  of  food  they 
should  consider  wholesome,  and  what  noxious  and 
deadly  r 

In  an  allocution  in  1862,  Pius  IX.  urges  the  same 
duty  still  more  vigorously.  "You  know,  in  short, 
that  whatever  is  of  the  last  importance  is  at  stake 
when  there  is  a  question  of  our  most  holy  belief  of  the 
Catholic  Church.  .  .  .  Thus,  as  much  as  in  you  lies, 
apply  yourselves  to  withdrawing  the  faithful  from  the 
contagion  of  so  terrible  a  scourge ;  remove  from  their 
hands  and  from  their  sight  wicked  books  and  jour- 
nals ;  impress  on  their  hearts  assiduously  the  precepts 
of  our  august  religion;  instruct  them,  warn  them,  ex- 
hort them  to  fly  from  those  teachers  of  iniquity  as 
they  would  fly  from  the  presence  of  a  serpent."* 

The  contagion  referred  to,  which  is  to  be  shunned 
as  "  the  presence  of  a  serpent,"  is  Protestant  literature. 
The  text-books  in  Roman  Catholic  schools  are  muti- 
lated and  falsified  in  the  interests  of  Rome.  In  Fredet's 
"  Modern  History,"  for  example,  we  find  the  following 
in  reference  to  the  Massacre  of  St.  Bartholomew: 
*  De  Montor,  Roman  Pontiffs,  Vol.  II. 


44  LUTHER    ON   EDUCATION. 

"  It  is  certain  that  religion  had  nothing  to  do  with  the 
massacre.  .  .  .  The  only  share  which  bishops,  priests, 
and  monks  took  in  it  was  to  save  as  many  as  they 
could  of  the  Protestants.  ...  It  is  objected  that  Pope 
Gregory  XIII.  publicly  returned  thanks  to  God  on 
that  occasion;  but  .  .  .  the  Pope  rejoiced  for  the 
preservation  of  the  French  monarch  and  his  king- 
dom." The  prohibitory  catalogue  of  the  Papacy  in- 
cludes the  ablest  works  of  modern  times  in  leading 
departments  of  learning.  In  it  we  find  such  names  as 
Hallam,  Hume,  Gibbon,  Mosheim,  Sismondi,  Ranke, 
Kant,  Locke,  Bacon,  Des  Cartes,  Whately,  Cousin, 
Montesquieu,  Milton,  and  the  Reformers.  In  the  in- 
terests of  its  domination,  the  Papacy  undertakes  to 
keep  the  mind  in  bondage,  to  prevent  free  investiga- 
tion, and  to  shut  out  the  light.  The  Bible  is  practi- 
cally prohibited.  The  Council  of  Trent  passed  ten 
rules  in  relation  to  prohibited  books,  which  rules  were 
approved  by  Pius  IV.  in  a  bull  issued  in  1564.  The 
fourth  rule  is  as  follows  :  "  Inasmuch  as  it  is  mani- 
fest from  experience,  that  if  the  Holy  Bible,  translated 
into  the  vulgar  tongue,  be  indiscriminately  allowed  to 
every  one,  the  temerity  of  men  will  cause  more  evil 
than  good  to  arise  from  it,  it  is,  on  this  point,  referred 
to  the  judgment  of  the  bishops  or  inquisitors,  who 
may,  by  the  advice  of  the  priest  or  confessor,  permit 


THE    PAPACY    AND    POPULAR    EDUCATION.  45 

the  reading  of  the  Bible  translated  into  the  vulgar 
tongue  by  Catholic  authors,  to  those  persons  whose 
faith  and  piety,  they  apprehend,  will  be  augmented, 
and  not  injured  by  it;  and  this  permission  they  must 
have  in  writing.  But  if  any  one  shall  have  the  pre- 
sumpton  to  read  or  possess  it  without  such  written 
permission,  he  shall  not  receive  absolution  until  he 
have  first  delivered  up  such  Bible  to  the  ordinary. 
Booksellers,  however,  who  shall  sell,  or  otherwise  dis- 
pose of  Bibles  in  the  vulgar  tongue,  to  any  person  not 
having  such  permission,  shall  forfeit  the  value  of  the 
books,  to  be  applied  by  the  bishop  to  some  pious  use, 
and  be  subjected  by  the  bishop  to  such  other  penal- 
ties as  the  bishop  shall  judge  proper,  according  to  the 
quality  of  the  offense."* 

4.  It  forms  an  important  part  of  the  papal  scheme 
to  have  control  of  the  young.  To  let  the  children  of 
the  Church  grow  up  out  of  the  circle  of  its  influence, 
to  imbibe  instruction  from  prohibited  books  and  here- 
tical teachers,  to  hear  history  impartially  discussed, 
would  be  dangerous  to  papal  supremacy.  At  all  haz- 
ards, therefore,  the  Papacy  is  bound  to  keep  control  of 
the  education  of  its  children.  It  denies  the  right  of 
the  State  to  take  charge  of  education.  The  Syllabus 
already  quoted,  condemns  the  following  propositions : 
*Smets,  Concilii  Tridentini. 


46  LUTHER    ON    EDUCATION. 

"  47.  The  best  theory  of  civil  society  requires  that  pop- 
ular schools  open  to  children  of  all  classes  and,  gener- 
ally, all  public  institutes  intended  for  instruction  in 
letters  and  philosophy,  and  for  conducting  the  educa- 
tion of  the  young,  should  be  freed  from  all  ecclesias- 
tical authority,  government,  and  interference,  and 
should  be  fully  subject  to  the  civil  and  political  power, 
in  conformity  with  the  will  of  rulers  and  the  prevalent 
opinions  of  the  age.  48.  The  system  of  instructing 
youth,  which  consists  in  separating  it  from  the  Cath- 
olic faith  and  from  the  power  of  the  Church,  and  in 
teaching  exclusively,  or  at  least  primarily,  the  knowl- 
edge of  natural  things  and  the  earthly  ends  of  social 
life  alone,  may  be  approved  by  Catholics."  The  feeling 
and  purpose  of  the  Papacy  are  here  clearly  indicated. 
Religious  instruction,  by  which  is  meant  a  training  in 
the  peculiar  doctrines  of  Romanism,  is  to  be  the  bas"is 
or  principal  element  in  education.  The  schools  are  to 
be  under  ecclesiastical  jurisdiction,  which  includes 
the  selection  of  text-books  and  the  appointment  of 
teachers.  In  the  presence  of  this  overriding  claim,  the 
State  has  nothing  to  do  with  the  education  of  its  future 
citizens. 

The  attitude  of  the  Papacy  towards  our  public 
school  system  was  clearly  and  forcibly  presented  by 
the  Rev.  F.  T.  McCarthy,  S.  J.,  in  a  lecture  delivered 


THE    PAPACY   AND    POPULAR    EDUCATION.  47 

in  Boston  in  December,  1887.  He  stated  emphatically 
that  he  was  not  giving  his  individual  opinion,  but  that  of 
the  Roman  Catholic  Church— a  fact  that  is  evident  not 
only  from  the  "  Syllabus  of  Errors,"  but  also  from  the 
fundamental  principles  of  the  Papacy.  "  The  State," 
said  Mr.  McCarthy,  "  has  no  right  to  teach,  no  right  to 
educate.  When  the  State  steps  in  and  assumes  the 
work  of  the  teacher,  then  there  is  the  invasion  of  the 
individual  rights,  of  the  domestic  rights,  of  the  rights 
of  the  Church,  and  of  divine  rights.  There  are  no 
circumstances  under  which  the  State  is  allowed  to 
teach.  The  Catholic  Church  teaches  that  if  Catholics 
have  other  schools  to  send  their  children  to,  where 
they  can  receive  a  fitting  education,  and  they  send  their 
children  to  godless  schools,  .  .  .  they  are  guilty  of 
mortal  sin.  We  cannot  allow  this  state  of  things  [the 
public  school  system]  to  go  on,  without  imperilling 
the  salvation  of  your  children  and  your  own  salvation." 
The  Papacy  is  at  open  war  with  the  public  schools  of 
our  country. 

The  policy  adopted  by  the  Church  is  very  simple. 
The  third  Plenary  Council  of  American  bishops,  held 
in  Baltimore  in  1884,  outlined  it  as  follows:  "Two 
objects  then,  dear  brethren,  we  have  in  view:  to  mul- 
tiply our  schools,  and  to  perfect  them.  We  must 
multiply  them  till  every  Catholic  child  in  the  land 


48  LUTHER   ON   EDUCATION. 

shall  have  within  its  reach  the  means  of  education  .  .  . 
Pastors  and  parents  should  not  rest  till  this  defect  be 
remedied.  No  parish  is  complete  till  it  have  schools 
adequate  to  the  needs  of  its  children,  and  the  pastor 
and  people  of  such  a  parish  should  feel  that  they  have 
not  accomplished  their  entire  duty  until  this  want  is 
supplied."  Active  steps  are  being  taken  to  carry  out 
this  policy.  The  priest  who  has  the  ability  to  estab- 
lish such  a  school,  and  yet  fails  to  do  it,  thereby  gives 
sufficient  ground  for  his  removal. 

The  principal  means  employed  in  undermining  our 
school  system  is  the  Roman  Catholic  vote.  There 
were  in  the  United  States  in  1883  seventy-two  Roman 
bishops,  6,546  priests,  and  6,832,000  laymen.  Not  only 
in  ecclesiastical,  but  also  in  political  matters,  they  are 
obedient  to  the  Pope.  This  is  a  tremendous  power  to 
rest  in  the  hands  of  a  shrewd  and  aggressive  foreigner; 
and  as  recent  events  show,  it  is  being  skilfully  used  to 
build  up  the  Roman  Church.  Votes  are  traded  for 
favors  and  money.  In  the  days  of  the  notorious 
Tweed,  several  hundred  thousand  dollars  were  appro- 
priated to  the  support  of  Catholic  parochial  schools  in 
New  York.  There  are  at  present  large  Roman  Cath- 
olic institutions  in  New  York  City — the  House  of  the 
Sisters  of  Mercy  in  8 1st  street,  the  Foundling  Asylum 
of  the  Sisters  of  Charity  in  68th  street,  and  the  Cath- 


THE   PAPACY   AND   POPULAR   EDUCATION.  49 

olic  Protectory  in  Westchester — that  are  supported  by 
the  city  treasury  at  a  yearly  expense  of  more  than  half 
a  million  dollars.     The  two  former  institutions  are  built 
upon  blocks  of  ground  worth  hundreds  of  thousands. 
of  dollars  each,  that  were  given  by  the  city  through- 
the  favor  of  the  Tammany  ring.  *     These  gifts  were- 
made  in  payment  for  political  influence.     "  The  author-- 
ities  of  New  York  City,"  says  the  Rev.  Dr.  Strong  im 
"  Our  Country,"  "  during  the  eleven  years  preceding 
1880,  gave  the  Roman  Church   real  estate  valued  at' 
$3,500,000,  and  money  to  the  amount  of  $5,827,471 ; 
this  in  exchange  for  Romish  votes,  and  every  cent  of 
it  paid  in  violation  of  law."     This  illustrates  the  papal 
method.     The  same  bargaining  is  going  on  in  other 
cities;  and  in  Poughkeepsie  and  New  Haven  a  division 
of  the  public  school  fund  has  been  secured. 

5.  Yet  the  Papacy  is  not  favorable  to  the  education  of 
the  masses.  It  seeks  above  all  things  absolute  obedi- 
ence on  the  part  of  its  adherents.  Intelligence  among 
the  laity  is  recognized  as  a  dangerous  possession; 
for  it  ministers  to  their  independence  in  thinking,  and 
makes  them  more  critical  of  the  teaching  imposed 
upon  them  by  priestly  authority.  Any  activity  dis- 
played by  the  Papacy  in  popular  education  is  forced  by 

*The  New  Know-Nothingism  and  the  Old,  by  the  Rev.  Dr. 
McGlynn,  in  North  American  Review,  August,  1887. 
3 


5<D  LUTHER    ON    EDUCATION. 

the  existence  of  Protestant  schools.  The  establishment 
of  parish  schools  giving  an  education  worth  the  name, 
is  a  measure  of  self-defense.  The  Jesuits,  with  all  their 
lauded  activity  in  education,  never  had  the  intellectual 
elevation  of  the  masses  at  heart.  With  them  educa- 
tion was  a  means  of  combating  Protestantism,  and  of 
begetting  a  bigoted  attachment  to  the  Roman  Church. 
Wherever  the  Papacy  has  had  full  control  of  educa- 
tion, the  masses  have  been  brought  up  in  ignorance. 
It  is  a  Jesuit  maxim  that  "A  few  should  be  well  edu- 
cated ;  the  people  should  be  led.  Reading  and  writ- 
ing are  enough  for  them."  When  Victor  Emmanuel 
took  possession  of  the  Papal  States  in  1870,  only  five 
per  cent,  of  the  population  could  read  and  write.  In 
thrift  and  intelligence  Catholic  countries  do  not  com- 
pare favorably  with  Protestant  countries.  Macaulay's 
judgment  on  this  point  is  as  just  as  it  is  positive.  "  Dur- 
ing the  last  three  centuries,  to  stunt  the  growth  of  the 
human  mind  has  been  the  chief  object  of  the  Church 
of  Rome.  Throughout  Christendom,  whatever  ad- 
vance has  been  made  in  knowlege,  in  freedom,  in 
wealth,  and  in  the  arts  of  life,  has  been  made  in  spite 
of  her,  and  has  everywhere  been  in  inverse  proportion 
to  her  power.  The  loveliest  and  most  fertile  provinces 
of  Europe  have,  under  her  rule,  been  sunk  in  poverty, 
in  political  servitude,  and  in  intellectual  torpor,  while 


THE    PAPACY    AND    POPULAR    EDUCATION.  5  I 

Protestant  countries,  once  proverbial  for  sterility  and 
barbarism,  have  been  turned  by  skill  and  industry  into 
gardens,  and  can  boast  of  a  long  list  of  heroes  and 
statesmen,  philosophers  and  poets."  * 

From  the  preceding  discussion  we  may  easily  de- 
duce the  line  of  action  that  is  necessary  to  protect  our 
institutions,  particularly  our  public  school  system, 
against  papal  aggression. 

1.  We  should  carefully  observe  the  insidious  move- 
ments of  the  Papacy. 

2.  Recognizing  the  separation  of  Church  and  State 
wisely  made  by  the  Constitution,  we  should  nowhere 
tolerate  sectarian  legislation. 

3.  Maintaining  the  right  of  the  State  to  educate  its 
citizens,  we  should   forbid   the  appropriation  of  any 
public  funds  to  sectarian  schools. 

4.  All  public  school  offices  should  be  filled  with 
recognized  friends  of  popular  education. 

5.  The  rights  of  conscience  should  be  maintained 
and  defended  by  the  State. 

*  History  of  England,  Chap.  I.,  where  the  striking  contrast 
between  Protestant  and  Roman  Catholic  countries  is  graohi- 
cally  presented. 


CHAPTER  III. 

PROTESTANTISM  AND  POPULAR  EDUCATION. 

word  Protestant  originated  under  circumstan- 
-*-  ces  that  formed  a  crisis  in  history.  At  the  im- 
perial Diet  of  Spires  in  1529,  the  Roman  Catholic 
party  succeeded  in  passing  a  decree  that  restored  the 
celebration  of  the  mass  wherever  it  had  been  abolished, 
excluded  from  the  pulpit  every  preacher  that  did  not 
recognize  transubstantiation  in  the  sacrament,  estab- 
lished a  rigid  censorship  of  books,  and  forbade  any 
effort  to  promulgate  the  principles  of  the  Reformation. 
The  execution  of  the  decree  would  have  brought  the 
reformatory  movement  to  a  speedy  termination. 
Against  this  decree,  which  had  the  sanction  of  the 
Pope  and  of  the  emperor  Charles  V.,  the  evangelical 
princes  at  the  Diet  drew  up  a  formal  protest  in  which 
they  said:  "We  are  resolved,  with  the  grace  of  God, 
to  maintain  the  pure  and  exclusive  preaching  of  his 
only  Word,  such  as  it  is  contained  in  the  biblical  books 
of  the  Old  and  New  Testament,  without  adding  any- 
thing thereto  that  may  be  contrary  to  it.  This  Word 
is  the  only  truth ;  it  is  the  sure  rule  of  all  doctrine  and 
(52) 


PROTESTANTISM    AND    POPULAR    EDUCATION.          53 

of  all  life,  and  can  never  fail  nor  deceive  us.  He  who 
builds  on  this  foundation  shall  stand  against  all  the 
powers  of  hell,  while  all  the  human  vanities  that  are 
seFupT  against  it  shall  fall  before  the  face  of  God." 
This  protest,  from  which  the  appellation  Protestant  is 
derived,  involves,  as  we  shall  see,  principles  of  deep 
significance. 

The  same  principles  were  announced  at  an  earlier 
date,  under  circumstances  no  less  important  and  impos- 
ing. In  1521  Luther  was  summoned  before  the  im- 
perial Diet  of  Worms  to  answer  the  charge  of  heresy. 
It  was  a  magnificent  assembly  presided  over  by 
Charles  V.  himself.  Luther  acknowleged  himself  the 
author  of  a  number  of  books,  the  titles  of  which  had 
been  read.  "  You  are  required,"  said  the  speaker  of 
the  Diet,  "  to  give  a  clear  and  precise  answer.  Will 
you,  or  will  you  not,  retract  ?"  The  great  Reformer 
replied  :  "  Since  your  imperial  Majesty  and  your  high- 
nesses ask  me  for  a  short  and  plain  answer,  I  will  give 
you  one  without  horns  or  teeth.  Except  I  can  be 
convinced  by  Holy  Scripture,  or  by'clear  and  indispu- 
table reasons  from  other  sources  (for  I  cannot  defer 
simply  to  the  Pope  or  to  Councils,  since  it  is  clear  that 
they  have  often  erred),  I  neither  can  nor  will  retract 
anything.  As  it  has  been  found  impossible  to  refute 
the  proofs  I  have  quoted,  my  conscience  is  a  prisoner 


54  LUTHER    ON    EDUCATION. 

to  God's  Word ;  and  no  one  can  be  compelled  to  act 
against  his  conscience.  Here  I  stand;  I  can  not  do 
otherwise.  God  help  me,  Amen  !"  In  this  declaration, 
as  in  the  protest  at  the  Diet  of  Spires,  the  principle  of 
secular  and  ecclesiastical  authority  in  matters  of  faith 
is  rejected.  The  appeal  is  made  from  the  Pope  and 
the  emperor  to  the  Word  of  God,  or  to  clear  and  con- 
vincing reason.  With  his  conscience  enlightened  by 
Holy  Scripture,  the  individual  man  asserts  his  spiritual 
independence,  and  his  immediate  responsibility  to  God 
alone. 

The  principle  of  personal  liberty,  as  announced  by 
Luther  and  the  other  leading  Reformers,  has  been  mis- 
understood. It  has  been  charged  by  papal  writers 
that  the  word  Protestant  signifies  resistance  to  the 
emperor  and  the  Pope,  or  to  all  lawfully  constituted 
authority.  Nothing  could  be  farther  from  the  truth. 
Luther  and  his  coadjutors  simply  returned  to  the 
scriptural  principle  that  in  matters  of  faith  we  should 
obey  God  rather  than  man.  The  protest  at  Spires  was 
not  against  authority,  but  against  a  usurpation  of  au- 
thority that  undertook  to  tyrannize  over  the  Christian 
conscience.  The  principle  of  the  Reformers  was  not 
absolute  liberty  to  do  as  we  please — a  doctrine  that 
issues  in  social  and  ecclesiastical  anarchy ;  it  was  free- 
dom to  obey  the  dictates  of  a  conscience  illumined  by 


PROTESTANTISM    AND    POPULAR    EDUCATION.          55 

the  Word  of  God.  This  freedom,  instead  of  leading 
to  confusion,  conduces  to  order.  The  Scriptures  be- 
come its  law;  and  in  accordance  with  their  teaching, 
every  evil  passion  is  restrained;  honor  is  rendered  to 
every  rightly  constituted  authority;  and  discord  is 
banished  by  brotherly  love. 

In  the  Protestant  creeds  that  resulted  from  the  Re- 
formation we  find,  along  with  many  points  of  substan- 
tial agreement,  a  number  of  articles  directly  opposed 
to  the  distinctive  tenets  of  the  Romish  faith.  All  the 
points  of  difference,  however,  may  be  reduced  to  three 
comprehensive  and  fundamental  principles,  the  wide- 
reaching  significance  of  which  can  hardly  be  exag- 
gerated. They  are  the  fundamental  principles  of  Pro- 
testantism, and  may  be  stated  as  follows:  i.  The 
Holy  Scriptures  of  the  Old  and  the  New  Testament 
are  the  only  rule  of  faith  and  practice  in  matters  of  re- 
ligion. 2.  Man  is  justified  by  faith  alone;  and  3.  All 
believers  become  kings  and  priests  unto  God.  These 
principles,  when  taken  in  their  full  significance,  will 
be  found  to  provide  a  firm  basis  and  lasting  impulse 
for  popular  education. 

I.  The  Scriptures  as  Rule  of  Faith. — In  the  "  Book 
of  Concord,"  composed  of  the  different  Lutheran  con- 
fessional writings,  it  is  said :  "The  Holy  Scriptures 
alone  remain  the  only  judge,  rule,  and  standard,  ac- 


56  LUTHER    ON    EDUCATION. 

cording  to  which,  as  the  only  test-stone,  all  dogmas 
should  ar>d  must  be  discerned  and  judged,  as  to 
whether  they  be  good  or  evil,  right  or  wrong."  The 
"Thirty-nine  Articles"  of  the  Church  of  England  say: 
"  Holy  Scripture  containeth  all*  things  necessary  to 
salvation;  so  that  whatsoever  is  not  read  therein,  nor 
may  be  proved  thereby,  is  not  to  be  required  of  any 
man,  that  it  should  be  believed  as  an  article  of  the 
Faith,  or  be  thought  requisite  or  necessary  to  salva- 
tion." The  Bible  was  the  weapon  that  the  Reformers 
used  against  the  Papacy.  By  it  they  judged  papal 
traditions,  and  the  decrees  of  Councils.  In  its  light 
they  discovered  and  condemned  errors  in  the  Roman 
Church;  and  before  its  tribunal  they  summoned  the 
Pope  himself.  In  a  word,  they  were  able  to  restore  to 
the  world  the  Christianity  of  the  New  Testament,  and 
to  justify  the  name  of  evangelical  which  they  as- 
sumed. 

The  conception  of  the  Church  was  changed.  It 
was  held  to  be  the  body  of  true  believers,  who  are 
united  by  faith  to.  Christ  as  the  head.  The  supremacy 
of  the  Pope  was  rejected  and  his  infallibility  denied. 
The  sacrifice  of  the  mass  was  discarded  because  it  is 
said  in  Heb.  x.  10  (and  elsewhere  substantially),  that 
"  We  are  sanctified  through  the  offering  of  the  body 
of  Christ  once  for  all."  Preaching  as  the  divinely  ap- 


PROTESTANTISM    AND    POPULAR    EDUCATION.          57 

pointed  means  of  public  instruction  in  religious  truth, 
was  made  prominent  as  in  the  Apostolic"  Church. 
The  celibacy  of  the  clergy  was  rejected  not  only 
because  of  the  scandal  attending  it,  but  also  because, 
as  the  Augsburg  Confession  says,  "  No  law  of  man, 
no  vow,  can  take  away  the  commandment  of  God  and 
his  ordinance."  The  spiritual  and  secular  powers,  in 
opposition  to  the  preposterous  claims  of  the  Papacy, 
were  distinctly  separated.  Both  powers  were  insti- 
tuted of  God,  and  each  in  its  sphere  should  be  re- 
spected and  honored.  The  ecclesiastical  power  was 
expressly  forbidden  to  interfere  with  secular  govern- 
ment.* If  the  Protestant  countries  of  Europe  placed 
the  secular  power  over  the  Church,  their  action  re- 
sulted, not  from  their  primary  principles,  but  from 
the  necessities  of  the  times.  The  interposition  of  the 
secular  authority  was  necessary  to  give  unity  to  the 
Protestant  movement.  In  America  Protestant  prin- 
ciples have  found  their  full  expression  in  the  complete 
separation  of  Church  and  State.  Each  is  recognized 
as  of  divine  origin,  but  with  different  functions;  and 
while  they  exist  side  by  side  in  harmony,  neither  tres- 
passes on  the  sphere  of  the  other. 

II.  Jtistification  by  Faith. — Luther  attached  great 
importance  to  this  doctrine  as  the  central  truth  of  the 

*  Augsburg  Confession,  Art.  XXVIII. 


58  LUTHER    ON    EDUCATION. 

Reformation.  In  the  Smalcald  Articles  he  says: 
"We  must  be  sure  concerning  this  doctrine,  and  not 
doubt ;  for  otherwise  all  is  lost,  and  the  Pope  and  the 
devil  and  all  things  against  us  gain  the  victory." 

The  Reformation  worked  itself  out  in  Luther  before 
he  gave  its  principles  to  the  world.  In  his  religious 
experience,  the  truth  of  justification  by  faith  stands 
pre-eminent.  Though  in  the  convent  at  Erfurt  he  had 
rigidly  conformed  to  all  the  requirements  of  the  Ro- 
man Church,  he  had  not  been  able  to  find  perfect 
peace.  The  consciousness  of  sin  weighed  upon  his 
mind,  and  Christ  was  dreaded  as  an  exacting  judge. 
He  longed  for  sweet  communion  with  God.  In  1511 
he  went  to  Rome  on  a  mission  for  the  Augustinian 
brotherhood.  For  the  sake  of  obtaining  an  indulgence 
promised  by  the  Pope,  he  began  one  day  to  climb 
Pilate's  staircase  on  his  knees.  While  performing  this 
supposed  meritorious  act,  the  declaration  of  the  Scrip- 
tures (which  he  had  long  been  studying)  suddenly 
broke  upon  his  mind  in  full-orbed  splendor,  "  The  just 
shall  live  by  faith."  He  arose  at  once  from  his  knees; 
and  in  his  joy,  as  he  tells  us,  he  "  felt  like  a  new  man, 
and  entered  through  the  open  doors  into  the  very  par- 
adise of  God." 

While  the  Roman  system  interposes  a  mediating 
priesthood  between  God  and  man,  and  makes  the  as- 


PROTESTANTISM   AND   POPULAR   EDUCATION.          59" 

surance  of  salvation  an  official  communication,  the 
Protestant  doctrine  of  justification  brings  the  soul  into 
immediate  relation  with  God.  Through  the  Gospel, 
the  heart  is  opened^  to  believe  and  love  God ;  there  is 
a  consciousness  of  the  forgiveness  of  sin ;  there  is  a 
new  joy  in  the  restoration  of  the  soul  to  its  Creator  ; 
and  there  is  a  satisfying  of  all  the  deepest  needs  and 
longings  of  the  religious  nature.  In  this  transforming 
experience  the  Christian  finds  his  assurance.  The 
Gospel  is  no  longer  an  external  matter;  it  has  been 
embodied  in  his  thought  and  feeling.  As  a  result,  a 
Christian  consciousness  has  been  formed.  It  is  this 
consciousness  that  gives  the  necessary  qualifications  to 
interpret  the  Scriptures  in  their  deepest  significance. 
It  does  not  need  an  infallible  ecclesiastic  to  authorize 
an  interpretation.  The  soul  has  been  brought  into 
harmony  with  the  Gospel ;  it  has  become  the  abode  of 
the  Holy  Spirit ;  it  immediately  discerns  and  appro- 
priates the  truth  according  to  its  needs. 

III.  The  Priesthood  of  Believers. — As  we  have 
seen,  the  Reformers  taught  that  by  faith  we  have  im- 
mediate access  to  God.  Needing  the  intervention  of 
no  special  sacerdotal  class,  such  as  existed  under  the 
Papacy  or  the  Jewish  dispensation,  all  Christians  have 
now  the  privileges  that  once  pertained  to  the  hierar- 
chical office.  They  approach  trustfully  into  the  pres- 


6O  LUTHER   ON   EDUCATION. 

ence  of  God ;  they  offer  him  the  incense  of  praise  and 
thanksgiving;  they  intercede  for  themselves  and  all 
mankind.  In  his  treatise  " Qn .Christian  Liberty," 
Luther  presents  this  truth  very  forcibly:  "Nor  are 
we  only  kings  and  the  freest  of  all  men,  but  also 
priests  forever,  a  dignity  far  higher  than  kingship, 
because  by  that  priesthood  we  are  worthy  to  appear 
before  God,  to  pray  for  others,  and  to  teach  one  an- 
other mutually  the  things  which  are  of  God.  For 
these  are  the  duties  of  priests,  and  they  can  not  pos- 
sibly be  permitted  to  any  unbeliever.  Christ  has  ob- 
tained for  us  this  favor,  if  we  believe  in  Him,  that,  just 
as  we  are  his  brethren  and  co-heirs  and  fellow-kings 
with  Him,  so  we  should  be  also  fellow-priests  with 
Him,  and  venture  with  confidence,  through  the  spirit 
of  faith,  to  come  into  the  presence  of  God,  and  cry 
'Abba,  Father!'  and  to  pray  for  one  another,  and  to 
do  all  things  which  we  see  done  and  figured  in  the 
visible  and  corporal  office  of  priesthood." 

,  This  doctrine  of  the  universal  priesthood  of  believ- 
ers bestows  upon  them  great  honor.  At  one  blow  it . 
breaks  the  bondage  of  the  laity  as  it  exists  under  the 
Papacy.  They  are  bound  in  their  religious  life  by  no 
external  human  authority.  They  are  freemen  in 
Christ  In  this  independent  position,  life  is  dignified 
by  the  weight  of  grave  responsibilities.  Every  one 


PROTESTANTISM    AND    POPULAR   EDUCATION.          6 1 

must  watch  over  his  own  religious  faith  and  practice. 
While  giving  due  honor  to  their  religious  teachers, 
Christians  are  not  bound  to  an  unquestioning  sub- 
mission, but  test  all  instruction  by  the  Word  of  God. 

The  three  fundamental  principles  of  Protestantism, 
which  we  have  been  considering,  necessitate  and  en- 
courage popular  education  in  various  ways. 

I.  The  Bible  is  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  laity.  It 
is  looktd  upon  not  as  a  volume  unsafe  because  of  its 
obscurities,  but  as  a  treasure  invaluable  because  of  its 
divine  message.  Yet  it  is  not  violently  severed  from 
the  teaching  of  the  Church  in  past  ages.  The  Refor- 
mation did  not  give  to  the  world  what  was  absolutely 
new ;  it  was  essentially  a  restoration  of  truth  that  had 
long  been  obscured  or  forgotten.  With  the  Scriptures 
as  guide  the  Reformers  traversed  the  preceding  centur- 
ies and  sought  out  an  evangelical  Christianity.  The 
three  oecumenical  creeds  were  incorporated  in  the  Pro- 
testant confessions  of  faith;  and  wherever  the  Church 
fathers  were  found  to  be  evangelical,  they  were  gladly 
quoted  as  authorities. 

This  use  of  the  Bible  as  the  ultimate  source  of  relig- 
ious truth  rendered  general  education  a  necessity — a 
fact  that  has  been  clearly  and  forcibly  presented  by  a 
distinguished  French  scholar:  "In  rendering  man  re- 
sponsible for  his  faith,  and  in  placing  the  source  of  thai 


62  LUTHER   ON    EDUCATION. 

faith  in  Holy  Scripture,  the  Reformation  contracted 
the  obligation  of  placing  every  one  in  a  condition  to 
save  himself  by  reading  and  studying  the  Bible.  In- 
struction became  then  the  first  of  the  duties  of  charity ; 
and  all  who  had  charge  of  souls,  from  the  father  of  a 
family  to  the  magistrates  of  cities  and  to  the  sovereign 
of  the  State,  were  called  upon,  in  the  name  of  their 
own  salvation,  and  each  according  to  the  measure  of 
his  responsibility,  to  favor  popular  education.  Thus 
Protestantism  .  .  .  placed  in  the  service  of  education 
the  most  effective  stimulus  and  the  most  powerful  in- 
terest that  can  be  brought  to  bear  upon  men."  * 

The  Bible  itself,  both  as  a  religious  manual  and  as  a 
literary  work,  is  a  potent  instrument  of  culture.  No 
other  book  is  half  so  useful  in  leading  man  towards  his 
goal  as  a  moral  and  religious  being.  It  surrounds  life 
with  an  atmosphere  of  purity,  love,  and  truth.  It 
gives  comfort  in  sorrow ;  cheers  with  precious  prom- 
ises; ministers  strength  in  hours  of  weakness  and 
temptation;  restrains  evil  tendencies;  fills  our  social 
relations  with  affection;  explains  the  universe;  and 
unites  us  to  God.  As  Burns  has  beautifully  shown  in 
his  "  Cotter's  Saturday  Night,"  it  glorifies  a  humble, 
laboring  life.  From  a  literary  point  of  view  the  Bible 

*  Michel  Breal,  Quelques  Mots  sur  1'  Instruction  Publique  en 
France. 


v  . 

PROTESTANTISM    AND    POPULAR    EDUCATION.          63 

is  a  remarkable  book.  Nearly  every  department  of 
literature  is  represented  in  its  pages.  It  contains  the 
most  important  of  all  history.  Without  its  opening 
chapters — interpret  them  as  we  may — what  a  riddle 
the  world  and  human  life  would  be !  In  the  story  of 
the  Chosen  People  we  see  the  hand  of  God  at  work  in 
history.  The  civil  regulations  of  the  ancient  Jews  are 
models  of  wisdom  and  justice.  Abraham,  Moses, 
David,  and  Paul  are  heroes,  whose  lives  are  grand  in 
faith,  wisdom,  and  achievement.  In  Proverbs  and  Ec- 
clesiastes  there  is  a  great  store  of  practical  truth.  In 
the  Psalms  and  the  Prophets  we  find  not  only  the  fin- 
est religious  poetry  in  all  literature,  but  also  many 
passages  of  astonishing  eloquence  and  power.  Let 
the  Bible  in  its  moral,  religious,  and  literary  character 
be  taken  into  the  life  of  a  man,  and  the  result  is  a  great 
uplifting  in  culture. 

2.  The  duties  of  secular  government  and  of  all 
social  relations  have  the  stigma  of  worldliness  taken 
away.  The  statements  of  the  sixteenth  article  of  the 
Augsburg  Confession  are  remarkable:  "Concerning 
civil  affairs,  they  teach  that  such  civil  ordinances  as 
are  lawful,  are  good  works  of  God;  that  Christians 
may  lawfully  bear  civil  office,  sit  in  judgments,  deter- 
mine matters  by  the  imperial  laws  and  other  laws  in 
present  force,  appoint  just  punishments,  engage  in  just 


64  LUTHER    ON    EDUCATION. 

war,  act  as  soldiers,  make  legal  bargains  and  contracts, 
hold  property,  take  an  oath  when  magistrates  require 

it,  marry  a  wife,  or  be  given  in  marriage They 

condemn  also  those  that  place  the  perfection  of  the 
Gospel,  not  in  the  fear  of  God,  and  in  faith,  but  in  for- 
saking civil  offices,  inasmuch  as  the  Gospel  teacheth 
an  everlasting  righteousness  of  the  heart." 

The  principles  of  Protestantism  do  not  unduly  de- 
preciate the  present  life  in  the  interests  of  the  life  to 
come.  Our  mission  here  is  not  to  fast,  to  make  pil- 
grimages, and  to  withdraw  into  monasteries,  but  faith- 
fully to  perform  the  duties  that  come  to  us  in  every 
'  relation  of  life.  Religion  is  not  a  thing  apart  from 
]  our  daily  labors,  but  a  spirit  sanctifying  our  whole 
life,  and  ennobling  the  lowliest  service.  Domestic  in- 
stitutions are  highly  honored  as  the  divine  ideal. 
Luther  speaks  often  and  tenderly  of  the  marriage 
relation;  and  with  his  beloved  Catharine,  he  estab- 
lished a  model  home,  filled  with  affection  and  hap- 
piness. 

To  fulfil  the  duties  of  this  rich  human  life,  as  con- 
templated by  Protestantism,  intelligence  is  necessary. 
No  class  should  be  left  in  ignorance.  Education  is 
an  interest  of  the  State  no  less  than  of  the  Church. 
Its  aim  should  be  to  fit  the  young  for  useful  living  in 
every  relation.  "  Even  if  there  were  no  soul,"  says 


PROTESTANTISM    AND    POPULAR    EDUCATION.          65 

Luther,  "and  men  did  not  need  schools  and  the  lan- 
guages for  the  sake  of  Christianity  and  the  Scriptures, 
still,  for  the  establishment  of  the  best  schools  every- 
where, both  for  boys  and  girls,  this  consideration  is  of 
itself  sufficient,  namely,  that  society,  for  the  mainten- 
ance of  civil  order  and  the  proper  regulation  of  the 
household,  needs  accomplished  and  well-trained  men 

•—*—«••»— «——•»— ————^— 

and  women.  Now  such  men  are  to  come  from  boys, 
and  such  women  from  girls;  hence  it  is  necessary  that 
boys  and  girls  be  properly  taught  and  brought  up."  * 
And  again:  "I  maintain  that  the  civil  authorities  are 
under  obligation  to  compel  the  people  to  send  their 
children  to  school,  .  .  If  the  government  can  compel 
such  citizens  as  are  fit  for  military  service  to  bear  spear 
and  rifle,  to  mount  ramparts,  and  perform  other  mar- 
tial duties  in  time  of  war ;  how  much  more  has  it  a 
right  to  compel  the  people  to  send  their  children  to 
school,  because  in  this  case  we  are  warring  with  the 
devil,  whose  object  it  is  secretly  to  exhaust  our  cities 
and  principalities  of  their  strong  men,  to  destroy  the 
kernel  and  leave  a  shell  of  ignorant  and  helpless  peo- 
ple, whom  he  can  sport  and  juggle  with  at  pleasure."f 
3.  In  Protestantism,  Nature  is  restored  to  its  rights. 
Under  Romanism,  which  unduly  magnifies  a  system  of 

*  Address  to  the  Mayors  and  Aldermen  of  the  German  Cities, 
t  Sermon  on  the  Duty  of  Sending  Children  to  School. 


66  LUTHER   ON    EDUCATION. 

dogmas,  and  inculcates  a  one-sided  religious  life,  the 
physical  universe  is  depreciated.  Protestantism  looks 
(  upon  the  present  world  as  a  field  for  serving  God  in 
\  the  exercise  of  our  native  powers  and  in  the  discharge 
of  our  natural  duties.  The  wondrous  beauty  of  nature 
is  appreciated.  Its  phenomena  are  studied ;  and  the 
knowledge  thus  acquired  is  turned  to  account  in  the 
service  of  man.  It  is  not  an  accident  that  the  leaders 
of  modern  science  have  come  from  Protestant  coun- 
tries. Protestantism  encourages  investigation,  wel- 
comes discoveries,  applies  new  ideas,  and  favors  pro- 
gress. Luther  was  justified  in  saying,  "  We  are  at  the 
dawn  of  a  new  era,  for  we  are  beginning  to  recover  the 
knowlege  of  the  external  world  that  we  had  lost  since 
the  fall  of  Adam.  .  .  We  already  recognize  in  the  most 
delicate  flower  the  wonders  of  divine  goodness  and 
the  omnipotence  of  God."  The  barrenness  of  exclu- 
sively linguistic  studies  has  been  relieved  by  studies 
treating  of  various  departments  of  Nature.  The  gain 
in  this  particular  has  been  great.  But  a  leading  bene- 
fit is  the  new  basis  upon  which  education  itself  has 
been  placed.  A  true  science  of  education  has  been 
established,  the  principles  of  which  are  found,  not 
in  some  theological  tenet,  but  in  human  nature.  The 
effort  is  made  to  develop  the  native  physical,  mental, 
and  moral  powers  in  the  direction  of  a  perfect  man- 


PROTESTANTISM  AND  POPULAR  EDUCATION.    67 

hood.  The  repressive  and  cruel  discipline  of  the  Mid- 
dle Ages  has  given  place  to  a  fostering  and  gentle 
training.  The  school-rooni  is  made  attractive,  and 
study  pleasant ;  the  natural  activity  of  children  is  util- 
ized, and  their  innate  desire  for  knowlege  is  gratified. 
To  use  the  strong  language  of  Luther  in  the  address 
already  quoted,  "  Our  schools  are  no  longer  a  hell  anM 
purgatory,  in  which  children  are  tortured  over  cases 
and  tenses,  and  in  which  with  much  flogging,  trem- 
bling, anguish,  and  wretchedness,  they  learn  nothing." 
.  4.  Influenced  by  their  fundamental  principles,  the 
Reformers  early  began  to  labor  for  the  establishment 
and  improvement  of  schools.  As  early  as  1524  Lu- 
ther made  an  appeal  of  marvelous  energy  to  the  au- 
thorities of  the  German  cities  in  behalf  of  popular 
education.  If  we  consider  its  pioneer  character,  in 
connection  with  its  statement  of  principles,  we  must 
regard  the  address  as  the  most  important  educational 
treatise  ever  written.  Education  remained  through 
Luther's  whole  life  a  cherished  interest,  and  he  has 
treated  of  it  in  many  sermons  and  letters.  There  is 
scarcely  any  phase  of  the  subject  that  he  did  not 
touch  upon,  and  everywhere  he  exhibited  masterly 
penetration  and  judgment.  "If  we  survey  the  peda- 
gogy of  Luther  in  all  its  extent,"  says  a  distinguished 
German  educator,  "and  imagine  it  fully  realized  in 


68  LUTHER   ON    EDUCATION. 

practice,  what  a  splendid  picture  the  schools  and  edu- 
cation of  the  sixteenth  century  would  present!  We 
should  have  courses  of  study,  text-books,  teachers, 
methods,  principles,  and  modes  of  discipline,  schools 
and  school  regulations,  that  could  serve  as  models  for 
our  own  age."*  The  great  need  Luther  saw  during 
the  visitation  of  the  churches  of  Saxony  led  him  in 
1529  to  prepare  his  two  catechisms  for  the  instruction 
of  the  clergy  and  the  laity.  In  1534  he  published  his 
translation  of  the  Bible,  which  had  an  extraordinary 
educational  influence  upon  Germany.  By  his  re- 
peated appeals  in  behalf  of  education,  all  Protestant 
Germany  was  aroused.  In  1525  he  was  commis- 
sioned by  the  Duke  of  Mansfield  to  establish  two 
schools  in  his  native  town  Eisleben,  one  for  primary 
and  the  other  for  secondary  instruction.  Both  in  the 
courses  of  study  and  in  the  methods  of  instruction, 
these  schools  served  as  models  for  many  others.  The 
forms  of  church  government  adopted  by  the  various 
Protestant  states  and  cities  contain  provisions  for  the 
establishment  and  management  of  schools.  The 
"Saxony  School  Plan,"  originally  prepared  by  Me- 
lancthon  and  revised  by  Luther  in  1538,  was  exten- 
sively adopted.  The  current  abuses  of  the  schools  in 
studies  and  discipline  were  pointed  out.  "In  order 

*  Dittes,  Geschichte  der  Erziehung  und  des  Unterrichts. 


PROTESTANTISM    AND    POPULAR    EDUCATION.          69 

that  the  young  may  be  properly  taught,"  says  the 
Plan,  "  we  have  established  this  form : 

"i.  The  teachers  shall  see  to  it  that  the  children  are 
taught  only  Latin,  not  German  or  Hebrew  as  some 
have  hitherto  done,  who  have  burdened  their  pupils 
with  too  many  studies,  which  are  not  only  useless  but 
hurtful.  .  .  . 

"  2.  They  shall  not  burden  the  children  with  many 
books,  but  in  every  way  avoid  a  distracting  multipli- 
city of  studies. 

"  3.  It  is  necessary  that  the  children  be  divided  into 
grades." 

Except  the  neglect  of  the  mother-tongue,  the  whole 
Plan,  which  extends  to  minute  details,  is  admirable. 
In  a  few  years  the  Protestant  portion  of  Germany  had 
greatly  increased  the  number  of  schools,  which,  though 
defective  in  many  particulars,  were  far  superior  to  any 
that  had  previously  existed.  Melanchthon,  Zwingli; 
Calvin,  were  all  active  in  educational  work. 

Protestant  nations  were  the  first  to  establish  a  sys- 
tem of  public  schools.  Catholic  nations  imitated  them 
only  under  the  stress  of  political  necessity,  and  then 
in  opposition  to  papal  teaching,  which  makes  educa- 
tion an  exclusive  function  of  the  Church.  The  coun- 
tries at  present  most  distinguished  for  intelligence  and 
freedom  are  Protestant.  In  so  far  as  any  nation,  as 


/O  LUTHER   (5N    EDUCATION. 

France,  Austria,  or  Italy,  has  freed  itself  from  Ultra- 
montane domination,  it  has  bestowed  greater  care 
upon  the  instruction  of  the  people,  and  removed  the 
stigma  of  illiteracy.  When  the  Papacy,  under  the 
shock  of  the  Reformation,  began  as  a  measure  of  self- 
defence  to  exercise  more  rigidly  its  repressive  authority 
over  the  intellect  of  its  adherents,  Catholic  nations 
gradually  fell  behind  in  the  march  of  progress.  At 
thet  opening  of  the  sixteenth  century,  Italy  was  the 
centre  of  the  new  culture  resulting  from  the  revival  of 
learning.  A  few  decades  later,  Spain  exhibited  a  brief 
period  of  literary  bloom.  But  the  strict  censorship 
established  by  the  Papacy  and  exercised  through  the 
Inquisition  proved  fatal  to  literary  activity;  and  in  the 
last  three  hundred  years,  as  the  result  of  their  servile 
condition,  Italy  and  Spain  have  produced  scarcely  a 
writer  of  international  repute.  The  Augustan  age  of 
French  literature  under  Louis  XIV.  is  not  to  be  attri- 
buted to  the  Papacy.  Under  the  leadership  of  Bossuet 
the  moderate  Gallican  type  of  Romanism  was  in  the 
ascendency.  The  brilliant  court  of  the  king  was  the 
centre  and  stimulus  of  culture ;  and  literature  flour- 
ished, not  because  of  Ultramontane  Rome,  but  in  spite 
of  it.  The  case  is  different  with  Protestant  nations. 
Their  history  exhibits  progress  in  intelligence,  pros- 
perity, and  freedom.  After  the  Reformation  the  centre 


PROTESTANTISM    AND    POPULAR    EDUCATION.  /I 

of  culture  moved  northward ;  and  the  superiority  of 
Protestant  training  was  magnificently  attested  on  the 
fields  of  Sadowa  and  Sedan,  and  in  the  ascendency  of 
Prussia.  The  universities  of  northern  Germany  are 
foremost  in  learning.  In  England  the  brilliant  era  of 
Elizabeth  was  largely  due  to  the  literary  activity  and 
intellectual  freedom  brought  about  by  the  Reformation. 
In  America,  while  Mexico  has  been  weighed  down  by 

illiteracy   and    superstition,  the    United    States    have 

• 

achieved  distinction  for  the  intelligence,  freedom,  and 
welfare  of  the  people.  The  foundation  of  this  remark- 
able progress  was  laid  by  the  Puritans  in  1647,  when 
the  General  Court  of  the  Massachusetts  colony  passed 
the  following  order:  "It  being  one  chief  object  of  the 
old  deluder  Satan  to  keep  men  from  the  knowledge  of 
the  Scriptures,  as  in  former  Jrries  by  keeping  them  in 
an  unknown  tongue,  so  in  these  latter  times  by  per- 
suading from  the  use  of  tongues,  that  so  at  least  the 
true  sense  and  meaning  of  the  original  might  be 
clouded  by  false  glosses  of  saint-seeming  deceivers; 
that  learning  may  not  be  buried  in  the  grave  of  our 
fathers  in  the  Church  and  Commonwealth,  the  Lord 
assisting  our  endeavors,  it  is  therefore  ordered,  that 
every  township  in  this  jurisdiction,  after  the  Lord  hath 
increased  them  to  the  number  of  fifty  householders, 
shall  then  forthwith  appoint  one  within  their  town  to 


72  LUTHER   ON    EDUCATION. 

teach  all  such  children  as  shall  resort  to  him  to  write 
and  read,  &c.  *  Other  colonies  followed  the  example 
of  Massachusetts ;  and  thus  the  popular  education  of 
this  country  sprang  directly  from  Protestant  principles. 
5.  The  principles  of  Protestantism  concern  man  as 
an  individual.  This  is  their  starting  point.  In  har- 
mony with  the  Gospel,  they  place  man  in  an  inde- 
pendent position,  and  dignify  him  with  the  responsi- 
bility of  ascertaining  and  performing  his  duty  imme- 
diately in  the  sight  of  God.  The  ideal  of  life  is  a 
faithful  discharge  of  every  duty,  both  private  and  pub- 
lic, in  the  fear  of  God.  Inasmuch  as  this  ideal  cannot 
be  attained  without  intelligence,  instruction  becomes  a 
necessity  to  the  individual,  and  a  duty  to  those  en- 
trusted with  the  care  of  youth.  It  is  different  under 
Romanism,  where  the  Church  is  the  supreme  object 
of  concern.  The  supremacy  of  the  Church  —  a 
thought  lying  at  thel^asis  of  Roman  Catholic  educa- 
tion— is  the  chief  factor  in  determining  subjects  of 
study  and  methods  of  instruction.  According  to  the 
Catholic  view,  the  principal  end  of  education  is,  not 
to  develop  the  native  powers  in  the  direction  of  an 
ideal  manhood,  but  to  make  faithful  and  obedient 
members  of  the  Church  or  subjects  of  the  Pope. 
"The  Catholic  view  does  not  recognize  the  individ- 

*  Painter,  History  of  Education,  p.  312. 


PROTESTANTISM    AND    POPULAR   EDUCATION.          73 

ual's  right  to  Christian  education  and  instruction,  and 
therefore  it  feels  no  obligation  to  provide  for  the  cul- 
ture of  all  its  members.  The  Church  is  the  supreme 
object  of  life,  and  therefore,  of  culture ;  the  school 
and  the  home  are  hence  only  means  to  bring  up  the 
young  for  obedience  and  service  in  the  Church.  The 
individual  is  an  object  of  ecclesiastical  activity  only  so 
far  as  the  Church  has  an  interest  in  him  for  her  own 
ends.  This  is  indeed  the  strength  and  weakness  of 
the  Catholic  system ;  this  the  secret  of  Catholic  ped- 
agogy before  and  since  the  Reformation — that  every 
thing  is  a  means  for  that  one  end ;  the  science  that 
she  encourages  and  teaches,  and  the  ignorance  she 
fosters  and  promotes,  faith  and  superstition,  culture 
and  barbarism,  the  severest  discipline  that  she  exer- 
cises as  well  as  the  license  that  she  tolerates, — omnia  in 
majorem  Dei,  i.  e.  ecclesice,  gloriam.  To  this  ecclesi- 
astical Christianity  the  evangelical  Christianity  of  the 
Reformation  is  opposed.  Here  the  aim  and  end  of 
all  the  activity  of  the  Church  is  not  the  institution 
but  the  person,  not  the  system  but  the  man ;  not  the 
glory  of  the  external  Church,  but  the  salvation  of 
the  individual  soul.  The  Reformation  wishes  noth- 
ing else  than  what  Christianity  itself  wishes — that  all 
be  helped,  that  all  come  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth. 
Thus,  at  every  point  of  the  Protestant  system  of  edu- 
4 


74  LUTHER   ON    EDUCATION. 

cation,  appears  the  endless  worth  of  personality,  but 
therewith  the  endless  rights,  as  well  as  the  endless 
obligations  and  responsibilities,  of  the  human  soul. 
As  such  every  man  has  a  right  to  be  instructed  in 
faith,  to  be  brought  up  in  Christian  doctrine  and 
life,  and  thereby  be  placed  in  a  position  to  edify 
himself  from  the  Word  of  God,  and  to  become  that 
which  every  man  should  become  according  to  the 
purpose  of  God — a  child  of  God,  a  citizen  of  the 
kingdom  of  God,  an  heir  of  life.  But  to  this  end 
he  needs  the  education  of  his  will,  the  awakening  of 
his  understanding,  and  the  communication  of  that 
knowledge  which  is  necessary  for  a  fruitful  hearing, 
reading,  comprehension,  and  right  application  of  the 
divine  Word.  Thus  follows,  from  the  Protestant 
doctrine  of  salvation,  the  right  of  every  man  to 
Christian  education  and  instruction,  and  the  corres- 
ponding duty  of  the  Christian  community  to  make 
the  necessary  provision  therefor."* 

In  view  of  this  discussion,  it  clearly  appears  that 
in  principle  and  in  fact  Protestantism  is  the  mother 
of  popular  education  and  the  friend  of  culture. 

*  Schmid,  Pedagog.  Handbuch. 

'— 


. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

EDUCATION  BEFOKE  THE  BEFOBHATION. 

nearly  a  thousand  years  after  the  downfall  of 
Rome  in  476,  the  ascetic  spirit  in  religion,  which 
George  Eliot  has  strikingly  characterized  as  "other- 
worldliness,"  exerted  a  powerful  influence  in  Europe. 
It  manifested  itself  in  various  forms  of  self-abnega- 
tion ;  hermits  withdrew  into  the  wilderness  to  live  in 
squalor,  and  monks  shut  themselves  up  in  monas- 
teries under  the  vows  of  poverty,  chastity,  and  obedi- 
ence. This  ascetic  tendency  was  a  natural  reaction 
against  the  sensuousness  of  heathenism.  When  the 
Church  came  to  assert  itself  in  opposition  to  heathen 
life,  it  gave  undue  prominence  to  our  spiritual  inter- 
ests. Science  was  sunk  in  theology,  and  education 
was  stamped  with  a  theological  character  that  fettered 
it  for  ages. 

In  studying.the  Middle  Ages,  we  need  to  be  on  our 
guard  against  magnifying  their  defects.  The  dark  ages 
should  not  be  made  too  dark.  While  ignorance  pre- 
vailed in  large  measure,  it  was  not  universal.  There  is 
an  education  of  the  hand  and  will,  as  well  as  of  the  in- 

(75) 


/  LUTHER    ON    EDUCATION. 

tellect ;  and  it  often  happened  that  men  who  could  not 
read,  were  able  to  lead  armies  and  govern  kingdoms. 
It  was  an  age  of  action ;  a  formative  period  for  happier 
ages ;  a  transitional  era,  in  which  Christianity  and  civ- 
ilization were  being  communicated  to  the  future  stand- 
ard-bearers of  progress.  It  was  the  age  of  cathedrals 
— those  miracles  in  stone;  it  saw  the  rise  of  great 
commercial  centres,  and  of  an  influential  middle  class. 
The  institution  of  chivalry  brought  forward  ennobling 
ideals.  Great  modern  languages  assumed  a  literary 
character,  and  embodied  a  notable  literature.  In  Ger- 
many we  find  an  epic,  the  Nibelungenlied,  that  deserves 
to  rank  with  the  world's  greatest  masterpieces.  A 
voluminous  poetic  literature  was  created.  Scholars 
were  not  wanting ;  Abelard,  Anselm,  Aquinas,  Duns 
Scotus,  were  men  of  acute  understanding  and  large 
attainments.  The  universities  were  founded,  and  fre- 
quented by  armies  of  students.  These  facts,  in  con- 
nection with  numerous  inventions  and  discoveries,  are 
inconsistent  with  an  age  of  absolute  darkness.  The 
educational  institutions  of  the  period  will  now  be  con- 
sidered in  succession. 

I.  Monastic  Schools. — Under  the  impulse  of  asceti- 
cism, monasteries  rapidly  multiplied,  and  by  the  sev- 
enth century  were  scattered  throughout  all  the  coun- 
tries of  Europe.  The  Benedictine  order  in  particular 


EDUCATION    BEFORE   THE    REFORMATION.  "J"J 

became  large  and  influential.     As  long  as  they  re-       ' 
mained  uncorrupted  by  wealth  and  power,  the  monas- 
teries were  asylums  for  the  oppressed ;  missionary  sta- 
tions for  the  conversion  of  the  heathen ;  repositories  of 

learning;  the  principal  abodes  of  the  arts  and  sciences. 

^£ 
As  the  heathen  schools  had  now  disappeared,  the 

monasteries  engaged  in  educational  work.  The 
Church  regarded  education  as  one  of  its  exclusive 
functions,  and  under  its  direction  nearly  all  instruc- 
tion had  an  ecclesiastical  character.  The  purely 
secular  studies  of  the  trivium — grammar,  rhetoric, 
and  dialectic — and  of  the  quadrivium — music,  arith- 
metic, geometry,  and  astronomy  —  were  pursued 
chiefly  in  the  interests  of  the  Church.  Latin,  the 
language  of  the  Church,  was  made  the  basis  of  in- 
struction, to  the  well-nigh  universal  neglect  of  the 
mother-tongue.  The  works  of  the  Church  fathers 
were  read,  though  expurgated  editions  of  the  Latin 
classics  were  used.  Logic  was  applied  to  theology, 
arithmetic  extended  to  only  a  few  simple  rules, 
geometry  consisted  in  scanty  extracts  from  Euclid, 
astronomy  was  limited  in  most  schools  to  the  arrange- 
ment of  the  Church  calendar,  and  music  was  confined 
to  learning  hymns.  The  pedagogy  of  the  ninth 
century  may  be  judged  by  the  following  extract  from 
Rhabanus  Maurus :  "  Arithmetic  is  important  on 


/8  LUTHER   ON    EDUCATION. 

account  of  the  secrets  contained  in  the  numbers;  the 
Scriptures  also  encourage  its  study,  since  they  speak, 
of  numbers  and  measures.  Geometry  is  necessary, 
because  in  Scripture  circles  of  all  kinds  occur  in  the 
building  of  the  ark,  and  Solomon's  temple.  Music 
and  astronomy  are  required  in  connection  with  divine 
service,  which  can  not  be  celebrated  with  dignity  and 
decency  without  music,  nor  on  fixed  and  definite  days 
without  astronomy." 

2.  Cathedral  and  Parochial  Schools. — Besides  the 
convent  or  monastic  schools,  there  were  two  other 
classes  of  schools  that  owed  their  origin  to  the 
Church  during  the  Middle  Ages — the  cathedral  and 
the  parochial  schools.  The  cathedral  schools  re- 
ceived their  perfected  organization  in  the  eighth 
century.  The  priests  connected  with  each  cathedral 
Church  were  organized  into  a  brotherhood,  one  of 
whose  foremost  duties  was  to  establish  and  conduct 
schools.  While  these  were  designed  chiefly  for  can- 
didates for  the  priesthood,  they  were  yet  open  to 
others.  The  instruction  embraced  the  seven  liberal 
arts,  as  they  were  called,  of  the  trivium  and  quadri- 
vium,  but  the  religious  element  was  made  still  more 
prominent  than  in  the  convent  schools. 

The  parochial  schools  were  established  in  the  sepa- 
rate parishes,  under  the  supervision  of  the  priest 


EDUCATION  BEFORE  THE  REFORMATION.     79 

They  were  designed  to  acquaint  the  young  with  the 
elements  of  Christian  doctrine,  to  prepare  them  for 
intelligent  participation  in  public  worship,  and  espe- 
cially to  introduce  them  into  Church  membership. 
Reading  and  writing  did  not  usually  form  any  part  of 
the  course  of  study,  and  their  function  was  similar  to 
that  of  the  catechetical  schools  of  the  early  Church. 
But  "  the  majority  of  the  clergy,"  says  Neander,  "who 
came  in  immediate  contact  with  the  people,  possessed 
no  other  qualification  for  their  office  than  a  certain 
skill  and  expertness  in  performing  the  ceremonies  of 
the  Church.  The  liturgical  element  would  thus  of 
necessity  tend  continually  to  acquire  an  undue  pre- 
dominance, suiting  as  it  did  the  prevalent  idea  of  the 
priesthood;  while  the  didactic  element — an  element 
so  important  for  promoting  the  religious  knowledge 
which  was  so  neglected  among  the  people — would,  on 
the  other  hand,  retreat  more  and  more  into  the  back- 
ground." 

3.  Secular  Education. — Secular  education,  which 
came  into  prominence  in  the  latter  half  of  the  Middle 
Ages,  took  two  directions :  chivalry  gave  rise  to  what 
may  be  called  knightly  education,  and  the  cities  to 
burgher  education.  These  secular  tendencies  were  in 
part  a  reaction  against  the  one-sided  religious  charac- 
ter of  the  ecclesiastical  schools,  and  in  part  the  natural 


8O  LUTHER    ON   EDUCATION. 

product  of  peculiar  social  conditions.  The  despotic 
authority  claimed  by  the  hierarchy,  in  connection 
with  its  worldljness,  excited  distrust  and  resist- 
ance. The  crusades,  though  at  an  almost  incredible 
cost  of  life,  Contributed  largely  to  the  general  ad- 
vancement of  Europe.  The  field  of  knowledge  was 
widened,  and  commerce,  trade,  and  manufacture  were 
quickened.  Coming  at  last  to  a  feeling  of  self-con- 
sciousness and  independence,  the  knightly  and  the 
burgher  classes  in  a  measure  emancipated  themselves 
from  ecclesiastical  tutelage. 

Knightly  education  stood  in  sharp  contrast  with 
that  of  the  Church.  It  attached  importance  to  what 
the  Church  schools  neglected  and  condemned.  Phy- 
sical culture  received  great  attention ;  polished  manners 
were  carefully  cultivated ;  and  a  love  of  glory  was  con- 
stantly instilled.  Women  were  held  in  worshipful  re- 
gard as  the  embodiment  of  virtue.  The  native  tongue 
was  cultivated  and  made  the  medium  of  all  literary 
productions.  Nature,  instead  of  being  placed  in  an  un- 
natural opposition  to  spiritual  interests,  inspired  the 
noblest  sentiments  and  the  purest  joys.  The  chief  in- 
tellectual elements  in  knightly  culture  were  music  and 
poetry;  and  one  of  the  richest  literary  treasures  com- 
ing down  to  us  from  the  Middle  Ages,  is  the  large 
collection  of  knightly  poetry  comprehended  under  the 
term  minne-songs. 


EDUCATION  BEFORE  THE  REFORMATION.     8 1 

With  the  growing  importance  of  the  commercial  and 
artisan  classes,  there  came  the  conscious  need  of  aiL 
education  adapted  to  the  wants  of  practical  life.  Out. 
of  this  need  arose  a  class  of  schools  which  have  borne 
different  names,  as  town,  burgher,  or  writing  schools.. 
In  addition  to  reading,  writing,  and  arithmetic,  other, 
practical  studies — geography,  history,  and  the  mother- 
tongue — were  pursued  in  a  small  way.  Latin  also  was  - 
early  introduced.  Though  the  burgher  schools  were, 
secular  institutions  in  origin  and  aim,  the  clergy  as  the. 
only  authorized  teachers  claimed  the  right  to  control,' 
them.  This  claim,  which  was  often  resisted  by  the 
civil  magistrates,  gave  rise  to  strife,  in  which  some- 
times the  one  party,  and  sometimes  the  other,  was  vic- 
torious. Where  the  civil  authorities  had  control,  they 
appointed  laymen  as  teachers,  whose  duties  were  pre- 
scribed by  a  contract.  The  principal  teacher,  who  was 
engaged  for  a  year,  employed  and  paid  his  assistants. 
The  salaries  barely  sufficed  to  procure  the  necessaries 
of  life. 

Female  education  outside  of  the  knightly  order  was 
generally  neglected.  Here  and  there  in  connection' 
with  nunneries  a  few  women  attained  distinction  by 
their  learning,  but  these  cases  were  exceptional. 
Among  the  knightly/class,  where  women  were  held 
in  high  honor,  great  attention  was  paid  to  female 
4* 


82  LUTHER   ON    EDUCATION. 

culture.  The  young  women  were  not  only  instructed 
in  the  feminine  arts  of  sewing,  knitting,  embroidery, 
and  house-keeping,  but  they  were  also  given  an  in- 
tellectual training  which  in  addition  to  reading,  writ- 
ing, and  the  mother-tongue,  often  included  an  ex- 
tended acquaintance  with  Latin. 

4.  The  Universities. — The  awakened  intellect  of 
Europe  manifested  itself  most  strikingly  toward  the 
close  of  the  Middle  Ages  in  the  founding  of  universi- 
ties. They  arose  independently  of  both  Church  and 
State.  In  the  beginning  they  consisted  of  free  asso- 
ciations of  learned  men  and  aspiring  youths,  who 
were  held  together  alone  by  their  mutual  interest  in 
knowledge.  In  this  way  the  University  of  Bologna 
had  its  origin  in  the  twelfth  century  for  the  study  of 
law,  and  the  University  of  Salerno  for  the  study. of 
medicine.  A  few  years  after  its  establishment,  the 
University  of  Bologna  numbered  no  less  than  12,000 
students.  In  the  twelfth  century  the  cathedral  school 
of  Paris  was  enlarged  into  a  university,  and  after- 
wards became  the  most  celebrated  seat  of  learning  in 
Europe.  At  one  time  it  was  attended  by  more  than 
20,000  students,  who  for  the  purpose  of  better  gov- 
ernment were  divided  into  separate  bodies  according 
to  nationality.  They  had  special  halls  called  colleges, 
in  which  they  lodged  and  boarded  under  official 


EDUCATION   BEFORE  THE   REFORMATION.  83 

supervision.  The  professors  were  divided  into  the 
four  faculties  of  philosophy,  theology,  medicine,  and 
lawx  which  have  since  been  retained  in  universities, 
though  the  studies  in  each  department  have  been 
greatly  enlarged. 

Such  were  the  various  educational  institutions  in 
operation  at  the  opening  of  the  sixteenth  century. 
Naturally  sharing  in  the  prevailing  rudeness  of  the 
time,  they  were  exceedingly  defective  in  studies, 
methods,  and  discipline.  The  pupils  were  passive 
under  instruction.  The  teachers  lectured,  dictated, 
interpreted,  and  the  learners  listened  and  memorized. 
The  principle  of  authority  prevailed.  It  was  decided, 
for  example,  that  there  were  no  spots  in  the  sun, 
because  Aristotle  had  nowhere  made  mention  of  the 
fact.  What  seemed  to  be  spots  were  therefore  re- 
garded as  defects  in  the  observer's  glasses.  There 
was  but  little  intellectual  freedom ;  the  teachers  were 
bound  by  the  authority  of  Aristotle  and  the  Church, 
and  the  pupils  by  the  authority  of  the  teacher.  Edu-^ 
cation  did  not  aim  at  a  development  of  all  the  facul- 
ties, but  at  a  storing  of  the  memory  with  certain  facts 
of  more  or  less  importance  in  relation  to  the  Church 
or  practical  life.  In  the  universities,  obscure  and 
often  trifling  questions  in  philosophy  and  theology 
engaged  the  attention. 


84  LUTHER   ON    EDUCATION. 

The  teachers  corresponded  in  character  to  the 
meagre  pay  they  received.  Men  not  capable  of  mak- 
ing  a  living  in  any  other  way  took  to  teaching. 
Though  organized,  according  to  the  spirit  of  the  time, 
,  in  a  guild,  teachers  commanded  but  little  respect,  and 
wandered  from  town  to  town  in  search  of  employ- 
ment. There  were  no  school  houses,  and  in  many 
places  no  organized  schools.  After  coming  to  terms 
with  the  town  authorities,  these  wandering  teachers 
proceeded  to  gather  about  them  a  body  of  pupils. 
Without  learning  or  pedagogical  training,  they  were 
unqualified  to  conduct  well-regulated  schools.  The 
discipline  was  severe,  and  often  cruel.  It  was  an  age 
when  authority  depended  largely  on  physical  force; 
and  servile  submission  was  exacted  from  the  pupil, 
and  bodily  chastisement  was  the  ordinary  means  of 
correction.  "  Frequently  at  the  installation  of  teachers 
a  ferule  was  presented  them  as  a  mark  of  their  dig- 
nity. Even  with  adults  this  sort  of  punishment  was 
not  without  example.  At  the  University  of  Paris  as 
late  as  the  fifteenth  century  the  students  were 
scourged  on  the  naked  back,  and  in  the  cloister  of  St 
Gall  it  was  the  custom  to  bind  offending  monks  to 
pillars,  and  after  the  removal  of  the  outer  garment  to 
whip  them.  Even  teachers,  who  were  negligent  in 
their  office,  had  to  submit  to  the  same  punishment"* 
*  Strack,  Geschichte  des  deutschen  Schulwesens. 


EDUCATION    BEFORE   THE    REFORMATION.  85 

The  moral  tone  of  the  universities  was  low;  brawls, 
outbreaks,  and  gross  immorality  were  common. 

There  were,  however,  a  few  penetrating  minds, 
especially  in  the  latter  part  of  the  Middle  Ages,  that 
perceived  and  pointed  out,  in  some  measure,  the  ex- 
isting defects  in  education.  In  their  writings  we  find 
many  a  statement  that  would  do  credit  to  modern 
pedagogy.  Anselm  (born  1023),  a  distinguished 
theologian,  did  not  wholly  approve  of  the  cruel  dis- 
cipline in  vogue.  "In  educating  youth,"  he  said,  "we 
should  learn  a  lesson  from  artists,  who  do  not  fashion 
TEeir  gold  and  silver  images  with  blows  alone,  but 
they  press  and  touch  them  lightly,  and  finally  com- 
plete their  work  with  gentleness."  Gerson  (died 
1429),  chancellor  of  the  University  of  Paris,  in  a  work 
entitled  "  Bringing  Children  to  Christ,"  recommended 
a  mild  discipline :  "  Above  all,  let  the  teacher  try  to 
be  a  father  to  his  pupils.  Let  him  never  be  angry 
with  them.  Let  him  always  be  simple  in  his  instruc- 
tion, and  relate  to  his  pupils  that  which  is  wholesome 
and  agreeable." 

In  considering  the  favorable  side  of  education  dur- 
ing the  Middle  Ages,  the  Brethren  of  the  Common 
Life,  founded  in  the  fourteenth  century  by  Gerhard 
Groot,  deserve  especial  mention.  Without  monastic 
vows,  the  members  of  this  brotherhood  led  a  life  of 


86  LUTHER   ON   EDUCATION. 

purity,  and  labored  with  unselfish  devotion  for  the 
good  of  others.  They  occupied  themselves  especially 
with  the  education  of  the  poorer  classes.  Though  the 
founder  laid  undue  stress  upon  religious  education, 
rejecting  arithmetic,  grammar,  rhetoric,  poetry,  and 
geometry,  the  brotherhood  afterwards  departed  from 
this  narrowness,  and  included  in  their  instruction  a 
comprehensive  course.  Johannes  Janssen,  an  able 
but  partisan  Roman  Catholic  writer,  says :  "  In  the 
schools  of  the  brotherhood,  Christian  education  was 
placed  high  above  the  mere  acquisition  of  knowledge, 
and  the  practical  religious  culture  of  the  youth,  the 
nurture  and  confirmation  of  active  piety,  was  consid- 
ered the  chief  object.  All  the  instruction  was  pene- 
trated with  a  Christian  spirit,  and  the  pupil  learned  to 
regard  religion  as  the  most  important  human  interest, 
and  the  foundation  of  all  true  culture.  At  the  same 
time,  a  considerable  amount  of  knowledge  and  a  good 
method  of  study  were  imparted,  and  the  pupil  ac- 
quired an  earnest  love  for  literary  and  scientific  activity. 
From  all  quarters,  studious  youth  poured  into  their 
schools."  * 

A  notable  and  lamentable  fact  in  the  educational 
arrangements  of  the  Middle  Ages  was  the  neglect  of 
the  common  people.  No  general  effort  was  made  to 

*  Janssen,  Das  deutsche  Volk. 


EDUCATION   BEFORE  THE   REFORMATION.  87 

reach  and  elevate  them  by  education.  The  ecclesias- 
tical schools  were  designed  chiefly  for  candidates  for 
the  priesthood ;  the  parochial  schools  fitted  the  young 
for  Church  membership;  the  burgher  schools  were  in- 
tended for  the  commercial  and  artisan  classes  of  the 
cities ;  knightly  education  gave  a  training  for  chivalry. 
Thus  the  laboring  classes  were  left  to  toil  on  in  ignor- 
ance and  want;  they  remained  in  a  dependent  and  ser- 
vile condition,  their  lives  unillumined  by  intellectual 
pleasures.  If  here  and  there,  as  claimed  by  Roman 
Catholic  writers,  popular  schools  were  established, 
they  were  too  few  in  number  and  too  weak  in  influ- 
ence to  deserve  more  than  passing  mention.  Popular 
education  was  the  outgrowth  of  the  Reformation. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  sixteenth  century,  the 
schools  suffered  from  the  corrupt  condition  of  the 
Church.  The  ignorance  of  the  clergy  was  reflected 
in  the  lives  of  their  members.  After  visiting  the 
churches  and  schools  of  Thuringia  by  order  of  the 
Elector  John,  Melancthon  wrote :  "  What  can  be  of- 
fered in  justification,  that  these  poor  people  have 
hitherto  been  left  in  such  great  ignorance  and  stupid- 
ity? My  heart  bleeds  when  I  regard  this  misery. 
Often  when  we  have  completed  the  visitation  of  a 
place,  I  go  to  one  side  and  pour  forth  my  distress  in 
tears.  And  who  would  not  mourn  to  see  the  faculties 


88  LUTHER   ON   EDUCATION. 

of  man  so  utterly  neglected,  and  that  his  soul,  which 
is  able  to  learn  and  grasp  so  much,  does  not  even 
know  anything  of  its  Creator  and  Lord?" 

After  the  visitation  of  the  churches  of  Saxony,  in 
1528,  Luther  wrote  in  the  preface  to  his  "Small  Cate- 
chism :"  "  The  pitiable  need  that  I  recently  witnessed, 
as  visitor,  has  compelled  me  to  prepare  this  catechism 
on  Christian  doctrine  in  such  simple  form.  Alas! 
what  a  sad  state  of  things  I  witnessed !  The  common 
people,  especially  in  the  villages,  are  utterly  ignorant 
of  the  Christian  doctrine;  even  many  pastors  are 
wholly  unqualified  to  teach ;  and  yet  all  are  called 
Christians,  are  baptized,  and  partake  of  the  sacrament, 
knowing  neither  the  Lord's  Prayer,  the  Creed,  nor 
the  Ten  Commandments,  and  living  and  acting  like 
irrational  brutes.  Nevertheless,  now  that  the  pre- 
cious Gospel  has  appeared  again,  they  readily  learn  to 
abuse  all  freedom.  O  you  bishops!  how  will  you 
ever  answer  to  Christ  for  having  so  shamefully  neg- 
lected the  people,  and  for  not  having  exercised  one 
moment  your  office  that  you  might  escape  all  evil  ?" 

The  following  passage  from  Luther,  in  which  he 
speaks  of  the  improvements  made  in  the  universities 
by  the  Humanists  and  Reformers,  throws  light  upon 
the  higher  education  during  the  preceding  period: 
"  Almighty  God  has  truly  granted  us  Germans  a  gra- 


EDUCATION   BEFORE  THE   REFORMATION.  89 

cious  visitation,  and  favored  us  with  a  golden  oppor- 
tunity. We  now  have  excellent  and  learned  young 
men,  adorned  with  every  science  and  art,  who,  if  they 
were  employed,  could  be  of  great  service  as  teachers. 
Is  it  not  well  known  that  a  boy  can  now  be  so  in- 
structed in  three  years,  that  at  the  age  of  fifteeen  or 
eighteen  he  knows  more  than  all  the  universities  and 
convents  have  known  heretofore  ?  Yea,  what  have  men 
learned  hitherto  in  the  universities  and  monasteries, 
except  to  be  asses  and  blockheads?  Twenty,  forty 
years  it  has  been  necessary  to  study,  and  yet  one  has 
learned  neither  Latin  nor  German.  _  I  say  nothing 
of  the  shameful  and  vicious  life  in  those  institutions 
by  which  our  worthy  youth  have  been  so  lamentably 
corrupted."* 

*  Letter  to  the  Mayors  and  Aldermen  in  behalf  of  Christian 
Schools. 


CHAPTER  V. 

LUTHEE. 

V 

IT  is  interesting  to  study  the  heroes  of  an  epoch. 

*•  While  acted  on  by  their  surroundings — the  state  of 
society,  the  grade  of  culture,  the  views  of  the  age — 
they  become  themselves  the  sources  of  a  new  creative 
power.  Such  heroes  are  at  once  an  effect  and  a 
cause.  Closely  considered,  they  are  found  to  exhibit, 
on  the  one  hand,  an  immense  receptivity,  and,  on  the 
other,  a  large  executive  energy.  They  gather  into 
themselves  the  thought  and  feeling  of  their  age. 
They  become  the  organs  through  which  the  spirit  of 
the  time  finds  utterance.  They  organize  the  move- 
ments that  give  satisfaction  to  the  longings  of  the  peo- 
ple. Speaking  from  the  fulness  of  a  rich  inner  experi- 
ence, or  from  the  certitude  of  intuitive  knowledge, 
they  acquire  the  authority  of  seers.  They  may  not 
at  first  understand  the  full  significance  of  their  opin- 
ions and  acts ;  but  because  they  are  loyal  to  the  truth, 
they  move  forward  in  a  straight  line  to  the  goal. 
Coming  into  conflict  with  existing  institutions,  they 
make  enemies ;  laying  broad  and  deep  the  foundations 

(90) 


LUTHER.  91 

of  human  progress,  their  lives  are  filled  with  labor 
and  care:  but  undaunted  by  foes  and  indifferent  to 
toil,  they  follow  their  course  with  unconquerable  de- 
termination. Their  lives  may  end  at  the  block  or  on 
the  cross,  but  they  remain  loyal  to  their  mission,  the 
creators  of  eras,  and  the  benefactors  of  mankind. 
These  truths  are  illustrated  in  Martin  Luther,  the 
great  hero  of  the  sixteenth  century.  The  story  of  his 
life  is  the  history  of  the  Reformation.  Above  all 
other  men  he  embodied  in  himself  the  noblest  ten- 
dencies of  his  time;  and  with  marvelous  penetration 
separating  truth  from  error,  he  began  and  directed  the 
movement  that  marks  a  new  era  in  human  progress. 

Every  nationality  has  its  peculiar  traits,  which  are 
inherited,  to  a  greater  or  less  degree,  by  each  individ- 
ual. It  is  to  Luther's  honor  that  he  was  the  most 
German  of  Germans — one  in  whom  the  noblest  char- 
acteristics  of  his  race,  in  unity  with  Christian  faith^ 
found  complete  expression.  No  manlier  type  of  char- 
acter can  be  conceived.  Fearless  courage  is  united 
with  tender  sensibility.  An  indomitable  spirit  of  in- 
dependence co-exists  with  loyal  submission  to  recog- 
nized authority.  Strong  passions  are  kept  under  by 
a  deep  piety.  A  passion  for  exciting  amusements  is 
regulated  by  a  sturdy  sense  of  duty.  Convivial  and 
social  gayety  is  balanced  by  profound  reflection  and 


92  LUTHER   ON   EDUCATION. 

deep  moral  earnestness.  Luther  was  the  manliest  of 
men,  the  ideal  German,  the  great  prophet  of  his 
people. 

It  has  been  said  that  God  accomplishes  his  work 
by  the  weakest  instrumentalities.     In  one  sense  this 

is  true.     The  great  providential  men  of  our  race  have 
\J 

usually   sprung   from   a   lowly   origin.      Moses    and 

David  were  shepherds;  the  apostles  were  fishermen; 
Christ  was  a  carpenter;  and  Luther  the  son  of  a  poor 
miner.  But  when  these  weak  instrumentalities  have 
once  received  the  divinely  appointed  preparation  for 
their  work,  they  are  no  longer  weak.  They  are 
changed  into  men  of  wide  experience,  keen  insight, 

.  and  steadfast  character.  The  rude  ore  is  transmuted 
into  steel.  The  early  career  of  the  German  Reformer 

\  was  admirably  adapted  to  fit  him  for  his  mission. 
He  gradually  rose  from  a  lowly  station  to  a  position 
of  commanding'  influence,  and  thus  swept  a  wide 
range  of  human  experience.  !  The  struggles  of  his 
early  life  imparted  strength  and  solidity  to  his  charac- 
ter. He  was  brought  up  in  an  atmosphere  of  deeply 
earnest  but  austere  piety.  His  early  school  days  at 
Mansfield  were  darkened  by  harsh  discipline  and 
crude  methods  of  instruction.  Destined  to  a  learned 
career,  he  was  sent,  at  the  age  of  fourteen,  to  the 
school  at  Magdeburg  conducted  by  the  Brethren  of 


LUTHER.  93 

the  Common  Life,  and  a  year  later  he  was  removed  to 
the  school  at  Eisenach,  presided  over  by  John  Tre- 
bonius,  a  learned  Humanist  and  celebrated  teacher. 
In  both  towns  he  had  to  beg  for  bread — a  trial  to 
.  which  he  pathetically  referred  in  after  life.  "  Do  not 
despise  the  boys,"  he  says,  "  who  beg  from  door  to 
door  '  a  little  bread  for  the  love  of  God '  .  .  .  I  have 
myself  been  such  a  beggar  pupil,  and  have  eaten 
bread  before  houses,  especially  in  the  dear  town  of 
Eisenach."*  Quick  of  comprehension  and  gifted  in 
oratory,  he  excelled  all  his  fellow-pupils.  He  com- 
pleted his  studies;  which  included  logic,  rhetoric, 
physics,  and  the  ancient  languages,  at  the  University 
of  Erfurt,  and  broadened  his  culture  still  further  by 
extensive  reading,  especially  in  the  scholastic  phil- 
osophy. His  ability  attracted  attention.  Once  very 
sick  and  in  fear  of  death,  he  was  comforted  by  an 
aged  priest:  "My  dear  bachelor,  do  not  despair;  you 
will  not  die  of  this  illness;  our  God  will  yet  make  a 
great  man  of  you,  and  you  shall  comfort  many  peo- 
ple. For  our  God  permits  those  whom  he  loves  and 
whom  he  wishes  to  use  for  great  and  good  purposes 
to  bear  the  holy  cross ;  and  those  that  in  this  school 
of  trial  patiently  submit,  learn  much."  It  was  in  the 
library  of  the  University  that  Luther  one  day  discov- 

*  Sermon  on  the  Duty  of  Sending  Children  to  School. 


94  LUTHER   ON   EDUCATION. 

ered  a  Bible,  a  copy  of  which,  though  in  his  twentieth 
year,  he  had  never  seen  before. 

Under  the  influence  of  deep  religious  convictions 
he  entered  the  cloister  at  Erfurt,  where  he  studied^he 
Bible  with  such  energy  and  success  that  he  could  at  . 
once  refer  to  any  passage  in  it.  He  passed  through 
a  profound  religious  experience,  which  issued  at  last 
in  the  doctrine  of  justification  by  faith.  Called  as 
professor  to  the  newly  founded  University  of  Witten- 
berg, he  lectured  first  on  the  dialectics  and  physics  of 
Aristotle,  and  afterwards  on  the  Scriptures.  "This 
monk,"  the  rector  was  accustomed  to  say,  "will  con- 
found all  our  doctors,  establish  new  doctrines,  and  re- 
form the  whole  Roman  church;  for  he  bases  himself 
on  the  writings  of  the  prophets  and  apostles,  and  is 
firmly  planted  on  the  Word  of  Jesus  Christ."  A 
,  journey  to  Rome  opened  Luther's  eyes  to  the  corrupt 
state  of  the  Papacy,  and  an  official  visitation  of  the 
'Augustine  monasteries  in  Meissen  and  Thuringia  re- 
vealed to  him  the  sad  condition  of  the  Church  at 
large. 

When  in  1517  he  began  the  great  work  of  the  Re- 
formation by  attacking  Tetzel's  sale  of  indulgences,  he 
was  not  a  novice,  but  a  man  of  wide  knowledge,  clear 
convictions,  and  sturdy  character.  The  fullness  of 
time  having  come,  he  was  ready,  like  another  Moses, 


LUTHER.  95 

to  deliver  the  people  from  bondage.  Throughout  his 
heroic  struggle  with  the  Papacy,  he  shows  himself 
clear  in  vision,  exhaustless  in  resources,  and  inflexible 
in  purpose — the  one  Titanic  form  on  the  crowded 
canvas  of  the  sixteenth  century. 

A  petty  intriguer  can  never  be  great.  The  habit  of 
scheming  gradually  undermines  the  character,  and  at 
last  destroys  the  power  to  cherish  a  magnanimous 
purpose,  and  the  steadfast  will  to  execute  it.  No 
other  man  ever  had  less  of  the  intriguing  spirit  than 
Luther.  _The  great  foundation  of  hjs  character  was 
lipnesty.  The  first  necessity  with  him  was  truth,  and 
in  its  power  and  ultimate  triumph  he  had  unwavering 
confidence.  Through  trying  spiritual  conflicts  he  had 
been  brought  to  an  understanding  of  the  Gospel.  Its 
truth  was  certified  in  the  depths  of  his  soul.  Though 
it  was  in  fundamental  conflict  with  the  existing  eccles- 
iastical system,  he  proclaimed  it  with  uncompromis- 
ing firmness.  There  was  no  indecision  or  duplicity  in 
I  his  character.  Despising  underhand  methods,  he  did 
not  seek  to  attain  his  ends  by  cajoling  friends  and  flat- 
tering princes.  He  stood  in  striking  contrast  with 
Erasmus.  The  latter  said:  "As  for  me,  I  have  no 
inclination  to  risk  my  life  for  the  truth.  We  have  not 
all  strength  for  martyrdom;  and  if  trouble  come,  I 
shall  imitate  Peter.  Popes  and  emperors  must  settle 


96  LUTHER    ON    EDUCATION. 

creeds.  If  they  settle  them  well,  so  much  the  better; 
if  ill,  I  shall  keep  on  the  safe  side."  With  a  genuine 
martyr  spirit,  Luther  forgot  self  in  his  devotion  to 
truth;  it  was  more  to  him  than  comfort,  high  position, 
or  the  favor  of  rulers ;  and  in  defiance  of  threatened 
dungeon  and  stake,  he  held  to  his  testimony.  His 
conscience  was  a  strong  factor  in  his  mental  life;  and 
indifference  .to  truth  or  selfish  prudence  in  the  pres- 
ence of  duty  was  regarded  as  a  wrong  to  the  Church, 
a  blow  at  society,  and  an  offense  to  God. 

Nothing  great  can  be  accomplished  without  faith. 
It  enters  largely  into  the  character  of  every  hero — 
faith  in  one's  cause,  in  one's  strength,  in  one's  destiny. 
No  other  faith  imparts  such  adamantine  firmness  to 
character  as  faith  in  God.  Let  a  man  profoundly  be- 
lieve that  the  Almighty  is  his  refuge  and  strength,  and 
he  becomes  invincible.  (  Luther  was  a  man  of  pre-j 
eminent  faith.  To  him  the  presence  and  protection 
of  God  were  realities.  His  faith  shines  forth  in  his 
writings  and  in  his  actions.  His  battle  hymn  of  the 
Reformation  expresses,  not  a  poetic  fancy,  but  a  pro- 
found conviction: 

"  A  mighty  fortress  is  our  God, 

A  bulwark  never  failing; 

Our  helper  he  amid  the  flood 

Of  mortal  ills  prevailing. 


LUTHER.  97 

And  though  this  world,  with  devils  filled, 

Shall  threaten  to  undo  us, 
We  will  not  fear,  for  God  hath  willed 

His  truth  to  triumph  through  us." 

In   the  greatest  trials  and  dangers,  this  faith  gave 
him  unfailing  strength  and  joy.     At  an  early  stage  of 
the  Reformation,  a  papal  legate  came  to  Germany  to- 
silence     the     troublesome     monk.      Remonstrances,, 
threats,  entreaties,  and  even  bribes  were  tried,  but  all, 
in  vain.     Unless  convinced  of  error,  the  Reformer  re- 
mained immovable.     He  resisted  the  entreaties  and1 
defied  the  power  of  the   sovereign  of  Christendom. 
At  length  the  legate  lost  his  temper,  and  exclaimed : 
"  What  do  you  think  the  Pope  cares  for  the  opinion  of 
a  German  boor?     The  Pope's  little  finger  is  stronger 
than  all  Germany.     Do  you  expect  your  princes  to 
take  up  arms  to  defend  you — a  wretched  worm  like 
you  ?     I  tell  you  no  !     And  where  will  you  be  then — 
where  will  you  be  then?"     Sustained  by  his  sublime 
faith,  Luther  calmly  replied:     "Then,  as  now,  in  the 
hands  of  Almighty  God." 

The  two  characteristics  just  considered — honesty 
and  faith — naturally  produce  courage.  If  a  man's 
conscience  is  clear  and  he  gives  his  life  to  God,  he 
can  not  be  otherwise  than  courageous.  He  may  not 
court  danger,  but  when  it  comes  in  the  line  of  duty, 
he  will  not  run  away.  Luther  was  among  the  bravest 
5 


98  LUTHER   ON    EDUCATION. 

of  men.  The  gigantic  undertaking  to  reform  the 
Church  exhibits  in  itself  heroic  courage.  A  miner's 
son,  a  simple  priest,  a  young  professor,  assumes  to  in- 
struct Christendom  and  overthrow  the  power  of  the 
Pope!  A  timid  man  like  Melanchthon  and  a  prudent 
man  like  Erasmus  would  have  been  appalled  at  the 
idea.  Luther  bravely  pursues  his  purpose — teaches 
the  truth  in  the  lecture-room,  thunders  it  from  the 
pulpit,  scatters  it  abroad  by  the  press.  When  the 
storm  comes  he  does  not  hide.  Summoned  to  the 
imperial  Diet  at  Worms,  he  was  warned  that  he 
would  be  foully  dealt  with.  Feeling  it  his  duty  to  go, 
he  replied:  "Though  they  should  kindle  a  fire  that 
should  rise  up  to  heaven  between  Wittenberg  and 
Worms,  yet,  as  I  am  cited,  I  would  appear  there  and 
step  into  the  mouth  of  behemoth,  confess  Christ,  and 
leave  the  issue  to  him."  How  grandly  he  bore  him- 
self before  the  Diet!  The  world  has  seen  no  sub- 
limer  spectacle  since  Paul  made  Felix  tremble,  or  the 
King  of  the  Jews  stood  before  the  Roman  governor. 

But  Luther  was  not  perfect — a  fact  that  brings  him 
nearer  to  ourselves.  We  can  sympathize  with  Lessing, 
himself  a  great  German,  who  after  narrating  an  in- 
stance of  the  Reformer's  intolerance,  said :  "  I  hold 
Luther  in  such  reverence  that  I  like  to  discover  some 
faults  in  him.  The  traces  of  humanity  that  I  find  in 


LUTHER.  99 

him  are  to  me  as  precious  as  the  most  dazzling  per- 
fections." Luther's  character  was  not  free  from  vio- 
lence.  His  zeal  for  the  truth,  for  the  welfare  of  the 
Church,  and  for  the  prosperity  of  Germany,  some- 
times rendered  him  terrific;  and  in  his  wrath,  he 
scourged  his  opponents — the  Pope,  Henry  VIII., 

• 

and  the  "robber  peasants" — with  a  scorpion  lash. 
Nothing  can  surpass  the  fury  with  which  he  attacked 
the  peasant  insurgents:  "I  think  there  are  no  more 

devils  in  hell,  but  all  have  gone  into  the  peasants.    , 

\l 
.  .  .  Whoever  is  slain  on  the  side  of  the  magistrates 

is  a  veritable  martyr  of  God,  if  he  fights  with  a  good 
conscience.  Whoever  perishes  on  the  side  of  the 
peasants  will  burn  everlastingly  in  hell,  for  he  is  a 
limb  of  the  devil.  .  .  .  Such  times  have  come  that  a 
prince  can  serve  heaven  better  with  bloodshed  than 
others  with  prayer.  .  .  .  Therefore,  dear  lords,  let  him 
who  can  thrust,  strike,  and  kill.  If  meanwhile 
you  are  slain,  more  blissful  death  you  could  not 
undergo."*  After  the  issue  of  the  Reformation  had 
been  fully  joined,  Luther  came  to  look  upon  the  ' 
Papacy  as  Anti-Christ.  His  anger  is  excited  at  the 
mention  of  the  name,  and  he  freely  uses  harsh  and 
opprobrious  terms.  His  strong  feeling  sometimes 
leads  him  to  exaggerated  statements.  Yet  his  vio- 

*Schrift  wider  die  rauberishen  Bauern. 


IOO  LUTHER   ON   EDUCATION. 

lence  came  less  from  native  asperity  than  from  ardent 
zeal.  It  may  generally  be  regarded  as  the  righteous 
indignation  of  a  mighty  soul  deeply  moved.  His 
furious  writing  against  the  peasants  originated  in  a 
deep  concern  for  the  imperilled  social  order.  He  was 
conscious  of  his  harshness  and  violence;  and  in  the 
following  passage  he  not  only  admirably  characterizes 
his  style,  but  skillfully  suggests  an  apology:  "I  seek 
not  to  flatter  or  to  deceive  you,  and  I  do  not  deceive 
myself  when  I  say  that  I  prefer  your  writings  to  my 
own.  It  is  not  Brentius  whom  I  praise,  but  the  Holy 
Ghost  who  is  gentler  and  easier  in  you.  Your  words 
flow  pure  and  limpid.  My  style,  rude  and  unskillful, 
vomits  forth  a  deluge,  a  chaos  of  words,  boisterous 
and  impetuous  as  a  wrestler  contending  with  a  thous- 
and successive  monsters;  and  if  I  may  presume  to 
compare  small  things  with  great,  methinks  there  has 
been  vouchsafed  me  a  portion  of  the  four-fold  spirit 
of  Elijah,  rapid  as  the  wind  and  devouring  as  fire, 
which  roots  up  mountains  and  dashes  rocks  to  pieces; 
and  to  you,  on  the  contrary,  the  mild  murmur  of  the 
light  and  refreshing  breeze.  I  feel,  however,  comfort 
from  the  consideration  that  one  common  Father  hath 
need,  in  his  immense  family,  of  each  servant;  of  the 
hard  against  the  hard,  the  rough  against  the  rough, 
to  be  used  as  a  sharp  wedge  against  hard  knots.  To 


LUTHER.  IOI 

clear  the  air  and  fertililize  the  soil,  the  rain  that  falls 
and  sinks  like  the  dew  is  not  enough — the  thunder- 
storm is  still  required."* 

There  is  no  other  intellectual  quality  so  valuable 
as  what  is  called  common  sense.  In  its  highest  form, 
it  involves  great  mental  vigor,  as  exhibited  in  keen 
penetration,  retentive  memory,  strong  feeling,  and 
powerful  will.  It  requires  not  only  native  symmetry 
of  the  faculties,  but  also  regularity  in  their  operation. 
Genius  generally  implies  something  abnormal — the 
development  of  a  single  faculty  at  the  expense  of 
others.  On  its  strong  side  it  is  independent  and  bril- 
liant, but  often  unsteady  and  eccentric.  It  is  capable 
of  high  results  in  a  single  direction,  but  unfit  to  con- 
trol a  multitude  of  interests.  Luther  was  not  a  gen- 
ius; but  no  one  since  St.  Paul  has  excelled  him  in 
massive  intellectual  strengh  and  soundness  of  judg- 
ment. He  was  distinguished  as  a  student.  In  the 
writings  of  his  mature  yeajs  there  is  astounding  vigor. 
The  Reformation  brought  him  innumerable  perplex- 
ities; scholars,  princes,  and  cities  were  constantly 
seeking  his  advice;  the  direction  of  the  whole  move- 
ment in  Germany  was  largely  in  his  hands :  yet  he 
seldom  made  a  mistake.  His  mind  was  not  metaphy- 
sical, but  practical;  he  had  no  taste  for  fine-spun  and 

*Vorrede  iiber  Job.  Brentii  Auslegung  des  Propheten  Amos. 


IO2  LUTHER   ON   EDUCATION. 

v  fruitless  theories.  At  the  university,  like  Lord  Bacon 
'X  a  century  later,  he  acquired  a  strong  dislike  for  Aris- 
totle and  the  schoolmen.  He  could  not  endure  their 
fallacious  subtleties.  He  was  made,  not  for  specula- 
tion, but  for  action;  he  constantly  deals  with  the  con- 
crete—not with  theories,  but  with  conditions  and 
facts.  His  style  abounds  in  particular  rather  than  in 
general  terms.  He  possessed  in  an  extraordinary  de- 
gree the  power  to  get  at  the  heart  of  a  matter — to  lay 
firm  hold  upon  the  essential  truth,  and  to  lop  off 
error.  His  intellectual  range  was  of  the  broadest. 
He  treated  upon  a  vast  number  of  subjects,  yet  with 
such  skill  and  judgment  that  his  works  are  still  a  rich 
store-house  of  wisdom.  An  acquaintance  with  the 
large  folios  that  embody  the  achievements  of  his  mas- 
sive intellect,  forces  the  conviction  that  Luther  was 
the  greatest  of  all  Germans. 

It  adds  to  our  conception  of  Luther's  greatness  that 
all  his  mental  life  was  not  absorbed  in  oaken  sturdi- 
ness.  He  was  sensitive  to  aesthetic  pleasures.  His 
character  is  like  a  Swiss  landscape,  where  blooming 
valleys  and  plashing  streams  soften  the  rugged  grand- 
eur of  snow-capped  heights.  He  had  a  close  sym- 
pathy with  nature.  At  Coburg,  where  he  stayed  dur- 
ing the  weighty  proceedings  of  the  Diet  at  Augsburg, 
he  observed  and  playfully  described  a  congress  of  jays 


LUTHER,  IO3 

and  crows.  When  his  old  servant  Lieberger  was  pre- 
paring some  bird-snares,  the  Reformer  dr.ew  up  and 
presented  to  him,  in  behalf  of  the  thrushes,  blackbirds, 
finches  and  jays,  a  formal  protest  against  his  cruelty. 
While  confined  at  the  Wartburg,  he  once  went  out 
hunting  with  some  friends,  but  his  sympathy  was  with 
the  game.  "  Notwithstanding  the  pleasure  the  spec- 
tacle afforded  me,"  he  says,  "  the  spiritual  application 
gave  me  equal  pain.  For  it  represents  the  devil,  who, 
with  insidious  art,  through  his  ungodly  servants,  hunts 
innocent  souls  to  death.  ...  At  my  instance  we  had 
preserved  alive  a  little  hare,  and  having  enveloped 
it  in  the  sleeve  of  my  coat,  I  had  gone  away  and  left 
it  for  a  short  time ;  meanwhile  the  hounds  traced  up 
the  poor  animal,  bit  it  through  the  coat,  and  killed  it. 
Thus  do  the  Pope  and  Satan  rave,  so  that  they  de- 
stroy rescued  souls  and  render  all  my  labors  vain." 
Watching  the  swelling  buds  one  April  day,  Luther 
exclaimed :  "  Praise  be  to  God  the  Creator,  who  out 
of  a  dead  world  makes  all  alive  again.  See  those 
shoots  how  they  bourgeon  and  swell!  Image  of  the 
resurrection  of  the  dead!  Winter  is  death — summer  • 
is  the  resurrection.  Between  them  lie  spring  and  au- 
tumn as  the  period  of  uncertainty  and  change."  In 

« 

the  following   passage,  what  a  fine   appreciation   of 
beauty!     "If  a  man  could  make  a  single  rose,  we 


IO4  LUTHER    ON    EDUCATION. 

should  give  him  an  empire;  yet  roses,  and  other 
flowers  no  less  beautiful,  are  scattered  in  profusion 
over  the  world,  and  no  one  regards  them!"  Luther 
was  fond  of  music;  he  was  a  good  singer  and  skillful 
player  on  the  flute.  Alone  or  in  the  company  of 
friends  he  often  sought  recreation  from  his  severe 
labors  in  the  pleasures  of  vocal  and  instrumental 
music.  He  set  a  high  value  on  its  elevating  influence. 
"Music,"  he  said,  "is  one  of  the  noblest  and  most  de- 
lightful gifts  of  God;  Satan  is  a  great  enemy  to  it; 
it  is  a  good  antidote  against  temptation  and  evil 
thoughts ;  the  devil  does  not  stay  where  it  is  practiced." 
It  is  a  question  whether  or  not  Luther  was  a  poet. 
A  recent  writer  has  said  that  the  Reformer  "was 
neither  a  philosopher  nor  poet."  *  The  truth  of  this 
statement  depends  upon  our  conception  of  the  poetic 
gift.  If  we  hold  with  Macaulay  that  "  no  person  can 
be  a  poet  .  .  .  without  a  certain  unsoundness  of 
mind,"  we  must  refuse  that  distinction  to  Luther.  No 
one  was  ever  sounder.  Neither  does  he  correspond  to 
Shakespeare's  beautiful  description  of  the  poetic  char- 
acter : 

"As  imagination  bodies  forth 
The  forms  of  things  unknown,  the  poet's  pen 
Turns  them  to  shapes,  and  gives  to  airy  nothing 
A  local  habitation  and  a  name." 

*Hosmer,  History  of  German  Literature. 


LUTHER.  IO5 

Luther  did  not  possess  the  "  fine  frenzy"  that  reaches 
the  highest  lyrical  achievement.  His  muse  employed 
not  a  soft  JEolian  harp  with  its  delicate  and  scarcely 
audible  harmonies,  but  a  great  trumpet  that  called  the 
nations  to  battle.  He  possessed  an  epic  character — 
himself  fitted  to  be  an  epic  hero.  He  deliberately  set 
himself  to  the  task  of  supplying  the  German  people 
with  "spiritual  songs,  whereby,"  as  he  said,  "the 
Word  of  God  might  be  kept  alive  among  the  people 
by  singing."  For  this  task  no  one  was  better  qualified. 
He  had  a  profound  experimental  knowledge  of  the 
truth,  an  unrivalled  mastery  of  the  German  tongue, 
and  an  unerring  artistic  sense.  In  all  he  composed  or 
remodeled  only  thirty-seven  hymns;  but  they  were 
fashioned  with  such  skill  that  they  at  once  took  hold 
of  the  popular  heart.  They  were  sung  in  the  congre- 
gation, in  the  school,  in  the  family,  and  became  a 
powerful  instrumentality  for  promoting  the  doctrines 
of  the  Gospel.  Coleridge  says  that  "  Luther  did  as 
much  for  the  Reformation  by  his  hymns  as  by  his 
translation  of  the  Bible,"  and  a  Jesuit  declares  that 
"The  hymns  of  Luther  have  killed  more  souls  than 
his  books  and  speeches."  Energy  of  thought  and 
feeling  characterizes  his  hymns.  No  morbid  sensibility 
in  the  presence  of  real  or  fancied  ills,  but  a  heroic 
faith  and  courage  bent  upon  battle  and  victory.  Thor 


IO6  LUTHER  ON   EDUCATION. 

himself  could  not  have  written  with  more  overpower- 
ing energy. 

The  domestic  life  of  Luther  is  very  pleasing.  The 
home  he  established  with  his  Katie,  as  he  called  her, 
was  almost  ideal.  He  spoke  from  his  experience  in 
saying  that  "  When  marriage  is  peaceful  and  agreeable, 
it  is,  next  to  a  knowledge  of  God  and  his  Word,  the 
highest  favor  and  blessing."  While  his  wife  was  affec- 
tionate, sensible,  and  thrifty,  he  was  tender,  apprecia- 
tive, and  magnanimous.  Their  household  was  well- 
ordered,  cheerful,  and  hospitable.  While  exercising  a 
salutary  discipline,  he  was  fond  of  children,  and  entered 
heartily  into  their  sports.  "The  faith  and  life  of 
children,"  he  said,  "are  the  best,  for  they  have  nothing 
but  the  Word.  To  this  they  cleave  with  simplicity, 
giving  God  the  honor  that  he  is  true,  being  assured 
that  he  will  do  what  he  promises.  But  we  old  fools 
are  subject  to  wretched,  infernal  doubt,  which  causes 
us  first  to  dispute  long  about  the  Word,  which  the 
children  receive  simply  in  pure  faith  without  disput- 
ing." His  letter  to  his  little  son,  written  at  Coburg, 
shows  his  deep  sympathy  with  child  nature.  He  was 
fond  of  companionship,  and  often  had  his  friends  with 
him  at  table.  The  meals  were  enlivened  with  music, 
humor,  and  profitable  conversation.  On  such  occa- 
sions Luther's  ability  appeared  to  great  advantage,  and 


LUTHER.  lO/ 

his  table-talk  became  famous  for  its  freshness,  orig- 
nality,  and  depth.  How  tenderly  human  the  great 
Reformer  appears  at  the  death-bed  of  his  little  daughter 
Magdalena.  The  strong  man  bowed  his  head.  "  I  love 
her  very  dearly,"  he  said,  "  but,  dear  God,  since  it  is 
thy  will  to  take  her  hence,  I  am  glad  to  know  that  she 
will  be  with  thee."  Then  turning  to  the  bed,  "  Dear 
Magdalena,  my  daughter,  you  would  like  to  remain 
here  with  your  father,  but  you  also  go  willingly  to 
yonder  Father?"  "  Yes,  dearest  father,"  the  little  girl 
said,  "  as  God  wills  it."  Then  the  father  said ;  "  Thou 
dear  child,  the  spirit  is  willing,  but  the  flesh  weak." 
Turning  away  he  said,  "  Oh,  she  is  so  dear  to  me !  If 
the  flesh  is  so  strong,  what  will  not  the  spirit  be?" 
As  Magdalena  was  breathing  her  last,  the  father  in 
tears  fell  on  his  knees,  and  prayed  God  to  release  her. 
Thus  she  died,  going  to  "sleep  in  her  father's  arms. 
When  the  child  lay  in  her  coffin,  Luther  said,  "  Lena 
darling,  how  well  it  is  with  thee!  Thou  wilt  rise 
again,  and  shine  as  a  star — yes,  as  the  sun — but  the 
parting  vexes  me  beyond  measure.  It  is  strange  to 
know  that  she  is  certainly  at  peace,  and  that  it  is  well 
with  her,  and  yet  be  so  sad !" 

The  highest  eloquence  is  not  a  trick  of  language; 
it  can  not  be  attained  merely  by  a  skillful  marshaling 
of  words.  True  eloquence  has  its  basis  in  energy  of 


IO8  LUTHER  ON   EDUCATION. 

thought  and  feeling.  Luther  was  gifted,  perhaps, 
beyond  any  other  man  of  his  time  as  an  effective 
speaker.  His  wide  range  of  knowledge  and  expe- 
rience rendered  him  exhaustless  in  ideas,  while  his 
intense  fervor  and  depth  of  emotion  sent  forth  his 
thoughts  with  tremendous  force.  His  appearance  was 
imposing,  and  his  voice  clear  and  sonorous.  He  was 
thoroughly  natural;  his  diction  was  adapted  to  the 
thought ;  and  when  he  spoke,  he  poured  all  the  energy 
of  his  nature  through  a  facile  medium  into  the  minds 
of  his  hearers.  He  was  the  greatest  preacher  of  his 
age.  The  glowing  tribute  of  Melanchthon  seems 
hardly  too  strong :  "  One  is  an  interpreter ;  another  a 
logician;  and  still  another  an  orator,  affluent  and 
beautiful  in  speech;  but  Luther  is  all  in  all — whatever 
he  writes,  whatever  he  utters,  pierces  to  the  soul,  fixes 
itself  like  arrows  in  the  heart — he  is  a  miracle  among 
men."  In  the  proud  independence  of  an  intellectual 
and  Christian  freeman,  he  was  unfettered  by  the  tra- 
ditions of  the  past,  and  judged  all  questions  for  him- 
self. He  cared  little  for  the  opinions  of  the  Church ' 
fathers;  having  tested  their  teaching  by  the  Word  of 
God,  he  had  often  found  them  wrong.  Yet  he  was 
in  the  noblest  sense  conservative.  He  was  not  an 
iconoclast  and  fanatic.  His  work  was  not  destruction, 
but  reformation;  and  even  under  the  strongest  pro- 


LUTHER.  IO9 

vocation  and  excitement,  he  did  not  run  into  extrava- 
gance. His  judgment  always  retained  the  ascendency; 
and  though  inflexible  in  his  opposition  to  Romanism, 
he  did  not  hesitate  to  chastise  with  extreme  severity 
the  dangerous  aberrations  of  Protestant  fanatics.  In 
the  presence  of  the  Zwickau  prophets,  Melanchthon 
wavered;  but  Luther  stood  firm  as  a  rock,  unmasking 
and  condemning  their  deluded  or  hypocritical  preten- 
sions. He  could  not  be  turned  aside  from  the  truth. 
He  was  the  only  man  of  the  sixteenth  century  that  had 
the  wisdom  and  strength  to  lead  the  battle  of  the 
Reformation.  Everywhere  on  the  extended  field  his 
vigilant  eye  observed  the  complex  movements  of  the 
opposing  forces,  and  his  brain  directed  and  his  voice 
cheered  the  great  Protestant  army  of  Germany. 
Alexander,  Caesar,  and  Napoleon  are  the  world's  ablest 
martial  chieftains;  yet  their  work  was  safety  and 
simplicity  itself  compared  with  that  of  Luther — the 
thinker,  the  orator,  the  leader  of  the  Reformation. 

As  in  almost  everything  else,  Luther  was  great  in 
industry.  His  writings  fill  twenty-four  folio  volumes. 
With  his  life  filled  with  practical  duties,  it  is  almost 
incomprehensible  how  he  could  accomplish  so  much 
with  his  pen.  The  secret  lies  in  his  indefatigable  in- 
dustry, that  allowed  no  moment  to  escape  unimproved. 
Here  is  his  apology  to  his  printer  for  some  oversights 


I  IO  LUTHER    ON    EDUCATION. 

in  his  manuscript:  "I  am  very  busily  employed — I 
preach  twice  every  day,  I  labor  at  the  Psalter,  I  am 
engaged  on  postils,  I  reply  to  my  adversaries,  I  con- 
tend against  the  bull  of  excommunication  in  German 
and  Latin,  and  defend  myself,  not  to  mention  the 
letters  which  I  have  to  write  to  my  friends,  and  the 
conversations  that  occur  at  home  and  elsewhere." 
This  was  written  at  an  early  stage  of  his  career;  and 
/  as  in  every  busy  and  useful  life,  labors  and  cares  in- 
creased with  his  years.  He  toiled  with  almost  super- 
human effort  in  his  translation  of  the  Bible.  "Alas!" 
he  said,  "  what  a  great  and  difficult  task  it  is  to  make 
these  Hebrew  writers  speak  German — how  reluctant 
they  are  to  forsake  their  Hebrew  ways  and  suit  them- 
selves to  our  rude  German,  just  as  if  you  would  com- 
pel the  nightingale  to  cease  from  her  melodious  strains, 
and  to  imitate  the  monotonous  and  odious  cry  of  the 
cuckoo."  Again  he  said  :  "  I  diligently  exercised  my- 
self to  employ  pure  and  distinct  German ;  and  it  often 
happened  to  us  that  we  were  two,  three,  and  four  weeks 
searching  and  inquiring  for  a  single  word,  and  after  all 
sometimes  failed  to  find  it.  In  Job,  Melanchthon, 
Aurogallus  and  myself  encountered  so  many  difficul- 
ties that  we  sometimes  scarcely  finished  three  lines  in 
four  days."  After  such  conscientious  and  laborious 
effort,  no  wonder  that  his  translation  is  a  marvel  of 


>  LUTHER.  Ill 

fidelity  and  excellence.  But  we  are  not  to  look  for  this 
painstaking  care  in  his  own  productions.  He  wrote 
from  an  overflowing  fulness  of  mind  and  heart ;  he 
was  not  forced  to  seek  for  ideas,  but  rather  found  diffi- 
culty in  mastering  the  copious  fountain  that  welled  up 
in  his  soul.  He  spoke  from  an  inner  necessity.  His 
pen  dashed  furiously  across  the  page;  he  did  not  stop 
to  refine  and  polish  his  language  as  did  Melanchthon, 
but  let  his  thoughts  clothe  themselves  as  best  they 
could.  His  style  is  sometimes  diffuse;  it  is  not  al- 
ways clear;  the  construction  is  occasionally  confused; 
and  yet  his  writings  never  fail  of  their  mark.  A  re- 
sistless energy  of  soul  vibrates  in  every  paragraph;  it 
bears  down  opposition,  and  forces  conviction.  The 
style  is  the  man.  It  bends  with  every  changing 
emotion ;  sometimes,  when  the  great  soul  of  the  writer 
is  shaken  with  a  mighty  thought  or  emotion,  it  thun- 
ders and  crashes  like  the  storm ;  and  agairi,  when  a 
buoyant  joy  has  settled  down  upon  his  heart,  it  gently 
plashes  like  the  wavelets  of  a  sun-lit  sea. 

Suth  was  Martin  Luther.  The  ablest  writers  of 
modern  times — historians,  philosophers,  theologians, 
poets — have  eulogized  his  character  and  work.  His 
life  kindles  admiration.  No  epic  hero  was  ever  greater. 
A  man  among  men,  yet  towering  above  them  in  un- 
approachable grandeur.  Holding  the  destiny  of  na- 


112  LUTHER  ON   EDUCATION. 

tions  in  his  hand,  he  was  calm  and  steadfast  in  God. 
Conscious  at  last  of  his  divine  mission,  he  esteemed 
his  life  as  nothing.  What  power  of  thought  and  range 
of  knowledge!  He  was  inspired  with  the  inspiration 
that  comes  from  deep  communion  with  God.  His 
heart  measured  up  to  the  full  size  of  his  capacious 
intellect.  After  wrestling  with  the  mightiest  sov- 
ereign of  Christendom,  and  humbling  his  pride,  he 
went  home  to  play  with  his  children.  Matchless 
courage  and  strength  united  with  childlike  simplicity 
and  tenderness!  His  life  was  unselfish  consecration 
to 'truth.  Look  at  him  as  we  will,  he  stands  out  in 
solitary  grandeur.  In  the  language  of  Carlyle,  whose 
study  of  the  Reformer  is  admirably  sympathetic  and 
just:  "I  will  call  this  Luther  a  true  great  man;  great 
in  intellect,  in  courage,  affection,  and  integrity,  one  of 
our  most  lovable  and  precious  men.  Great,  not  as  a 
hewn  obelisk,  but  as  an  Alpine  mountain — so  simple, 
honest,  spontaneous,  not  setting  up  to  be  great  at  all ; 
there  for  quite  another  purpose  than  being  great! 
Ah  yes,  unsubduable  granite,  piercing  far  and  wide 
into  the  heavens;  yet  in  the  clefts  of  it  fountains, 
green  and  beautiful  valleys  with  flowers!  A  right 
spiritual  hero  and  prophet;  once  more,  a  true  son  of 
nature  and  fact,  for  whom  these  centuries,  and  many 
that  are  to  come  yet,  will  be  thankful  to  heaven."  * 

*  Carlyle,  Heroes  and  Hero-Worship.     Lecture  IV. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

LTJTHER  ON  DOMESTIC  TRAINING. 

F  UTHER  was  gifted  with  great  soundness  of  judg— 
*-*  ment,  and  was  penetrated  by  the  letter  and  spirit  of 
Scripture.  These  two  facts  determine  the  character  of 
his  writings,  and  give  them  permanent  value.  In  the 
existence  of  the  sexes  he  saw  the  natural  basis  of" 
marriage,  and  in  revelation  he  found  it  a  divine  institu- 
tion. The  vices  of  the  monks  and  Romish  clergy  ex- 
hibited the  demoralizing  effects  of  the  unnatural  law 
of  celibacy.  Hence,  both  by  his  ^example  and  in  his 
writings,  Luther  defends  what  nature  and  God  alike 
enjoin.  In  this  he  shows  himself  in  advance  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church,  which,  while  making  mar- 
riage a  sacrament,  pronounces  celibacy  better.  To 
select  but  a  single  passage  from  many,  Luther  says, 
"  Next  to  God's  Word,  the  world  has  not  a  more  lovely 
and  endearing  treasure  on  earth  than  the  holy  state  of 
matrimony,  which  He  has  Himself  instituted,  preserv- 
ing it,  having  adorned  and  blessed  it  above  all  sta- 
tions, from  which  not  only  all  emperors,  kings,  and 
saints,  but  even  the  eternal  Son  of  God,  though  in  a 
(113) 


114  LUTHER   ON    EDUCATION. 

supernatural  way,  are  born.  Whoever,  therefore,  hates 
the  married  state,  and  speaks  evil  of  it,  certainly  is 
of  the  devil." 

Luther  had  a  clear  conception  of  the  constitution  of 
society.  He  recognized  the  existence  of  the  family, 
the  State,  and  the  Church,  which  he  calls  "three  hier- 
archies established  of  God;"  and  the  functions  pertain- 
ing to  these  separate  spheres,  taken  together,  consti- 
tute the  sum  of  human  duty.  The  basis  of  both  the 
State  and  the  Church  is  found  in  the  family,  in  which 
the  young  are  to  be  trained  for  civil  life  and  the 
Kingdom  of  God.  "From  the  Fourth  Command- 
ment," Luther  says,  "  it  is  obvious  that  God  attaches 
great  importance  to  obedience  to  parents.  And  where 
it  is  not  found,  there  can  be  neither  good  morals  nor 
good  government.  For  where  obedience  is  lacking  in 
the  family,  no  city  or  principality  or  kingdom  can  be 
well  governed.  Family  government  is  the  basis  of 
all  other  government;  and  where  the  root  is  bad,  the 
trunk  and  fruit  can  not  be  good. 

"For  what  is  a  city  but  a  collection  of  houses? 
How  then  can  a  city  be  well  governed,  when  there  is 
no  government  in  the  separate  houses,  and  neither 
child  nor  servant  is  obedient?  Likewise,  what  is  a 
province  but  a  collection  of  cities,  towns,  and  villages  ? 
When,  therefore,  the  families  are  badly  controlled, 


LUTHER  ON    DOMESTIC  TRAINING.  11$ 

how  can  the  province  be  well  governed?  Verily 
there  can  be  nothing  but  tyranny,  witchcraft,  mur- 
ders, thefts,  disobedience.  A  principality  is  made  up 
of  districts;  a  kingdom,  of  principalities ;  an  empire,  of 
kingdoms;  these  are  all  composed  of  families.  Where 
the  father  and  mother  rule  badly,  and  let  the  children 
have  their  own  way,  there  neither  city,  town,  village, 
district,  principality,  kingdom,  nor  empire,  can  be  well 
and  peacefully  governed." 

Luther  set  great  store  by  the  parental  relation. 
"  Oh,  what  a  great,  rich,  and  noble  blessing,"  he  ex- 
claims, "God  confers  upon  the  married  state!  What 
joy  does  not  a  man  experience  in  his  descendants, 
who  are  numbered  from  him,  even  after  his  death." 
Again:  "Children  are  the  most  lovely  fruits  and 
bonds  of  marriage,  and  confirm  and  preserve  the  bond 
of  love."  In  his  "  Large  Catechism,"  Luther  begins 
his  exposition  of  the  Fourth  Commandment  with  these 
words:  "The  parental  estate  God  has  especially 
honored  above  all  estates  that  are  beneath  Him,  so 
that  He  not  only  commands  us  to  love  our  parents, 
but  also  to  honor  them.  With  respect  to  brothers, 
sisters,  and  our  neighbors  in  general,  He  commands 
nothing  higher  than  that  we  love  them ;  so  that  He 
separates  and  distinguishes  father  and  mother  above 
all  other  persons  upon  earth,  and  places  them  next  to 


Il6  LUTHER  ON   EDUCATION. 

himself.  For  to  honor  is  far  higher  than  to  love,  inas- 
much as  it  comprehends  not  only  love,  but  also  mod- 
esty, humility,  and  deference  as  though  to  a  majesty 
there  hidden,  and  requires  not  only  that  they  be  ad- 
dressed kindly  and  with  reverence,  but  most  of  all 
that  both  in  heart  and  with  the  body  we  so  act  as  to 
show  that  we  esteem  them  very  highly,  and  that,  next 
to  God,  we  regard  them  the  very  highest." 

The  right  training  of  children  Luther  enforces 
especially  as  a  divine  requirement  Parents  are  not 
free  to  do  with  their  children  as  they  please.  They 
are  entrusted  with  parental  authority  that  they  may 
./  train  up  their  offspring  for  society  and  the  Church,  and 
they  are  held  to  a  strict  account  for  the  manner  in 
which  they  discharge  this  duty.  This  thought  is 
presented  again  and  again  in  Luther's  writings.  "  But 
^  this  is  again  a  sad  evil,"  he  says, "  that  all  live  on  as 
though  God  gave  us  children  for  our  pleasure  or 
amusement,  and  servants  that  we  should  employ  them 
like  a  cow  or  ass,  only  for  work,  or  as  though  all  we 
had  to  do  with  our  subjects  were  only  to  gratify  our 
wantonness,  without  any  concern  on  our  part  as  to 
what  they  learn  or  how  they  live;  and  no  one  is  willing 
to  see  that  this  is  the  command  of  the  Supreme 
Majesty,  who  will  most  strictly  call  us  to  an  account 
and  punish  us  for  it,  nor  that  there  is  so  great  need  to 


LUTHER   ON   DOMESTIC  TRAINING.  1 1/ 

be  so  intensely  anxious  about  the  young.  For  if  we 
wish  to  have  proper  and  excellent  persons  both  for  civil 
and  ecclesiastical  government,  we  must  spare  no  dili- 
gence, time,  or  cost  in  teaching  and  educating  our  chil- 
dren, that  they  may  serve  God  and  the  world,  and  we 
must  not  think  only  how  we  may  amass  money  and 
possessions  for  them.  .  .  .  Let  every  one  know, 
the  reforel  that  above  all  things  it  is  his  duty,  (or  other- 
wise he  will  lose  the  divine  favor,)  to  bring  up  his 
children  in  the  fear  and  knowledge  of  God;  and  if  they 
have  talents,  to  have  them  instructed  and  trained  in  a 
liberal  education,  that  men  may  be  able  to  have  their 

-_^_J^*  I*         I          ^».l    •    !••!•    ..•..—    I,.  !  .         ,, 

aid  in  government  and  in  whatever  is  necessary." 

In  this  connection  Luther's  conception  of  religion 
appears  in  strong  contrast  with  the  works  of  human 
devising  encouraged  in  the  Romish  Church.  A  right 
performance  of  domestic  duties,  particularly  in  the 
proper  rearing  of  children,  is  better  than  fasting  and 
pilgrimages.  "  Married  people,"  Luther  says,  "  should 
know  that  they  can  perform  no  better  and  no  more 
useful  work  for  God,  Christianity,  the  world,  them- 
selves, and  their  children,  than  by  bringing  up  their 
children  well.  Pilgrimages  to  Rome  and  to  Jerusalem, 
building  churches,  providing  for  masses,  or  whatever 
else  the  work  may  be  called,  is  nothing  in  comparison 
with  the  right  training  of  children,  for  that  is  the 


Il8  LUTHER  ON  EDUCATION. 

straight  road  to  heaven ;  and  it  can  not  be  more  easily 
attained  in  any  other  way.  It  is  the  peculiar  work  of 
parents,  and  when  they  do  not  attend  to  it,  there  is  a 
perversion  of  nature,  as  when  fire  does  not  burn  or  water 
moisten.  On  the  other  hand,  hell  can  not  be  more 
easily  deserved,  and  no  more  hurtful  work  can^)e  done, 
than  by  neglecting  children,  letting  them, swear,  learn 
shameful  words  and  songs,  and  do  as  they  please." 

Luther  is  not  content  with  merely  showing  parents 
their  duty,  but  with  great  earnestness  he  urges  them 
to  its  performance.  There  is  no  argument  that  a  com- 
prehensive and  thoughtful  mind  can  adduce,  that  is 
not  brought  to  bear  upon  them.  The  divine  require- 
ments are  set  forth;  the  evils  resulting  to  society  and 
the  Church  through  neglect  of  their  children  are 
clearly  pointed  out;  their  gratitude  to  God  and  their 
obligations  to  mankind  are  urged  as  motives;  and  the 
guilt  and  punishment  they  bring  upon  themselves  and 
their  children  are  fully  portrayed.  As  will  be  seen  in 
the  "  Letter  to  the  Mayors  and  Aldermen,"  and  in  the 
"Sermon  on  Sending  Children  to  School,"  Luther  in 
discussing  this  matter  sometimes  rises  to  an  overmas- 
tering eloquence.  A  single  passage  from  the  "  Large 
Catechism"  will  serve  as  illustration:  "Think  what 
deadly  injury  you  are  doing  if  you  be  negligent  and 
fail  to  bring  up  your  child  to  usefulness  and  piety, 


LUTHER    ON    DOMESTIC   TRAINING.  I  1 9 

and  how  you  bring  upon  yourself  all  sin  and  wrath, 
meriting  hell  even  in  your  dealings  with  your  own 
children,  even  though  you  be  otherwise  ever  so  pious 
and  holy.  And  because  this  is  disregarded,  God  so 
fearfully  punishes  the  world  that  there  is  no  discipline, 
government,  or  peace,  of  which  we  all  complain,  but 
do  not  see  that  it  is  our  fault,  for  as  we  train  them  we 
have  spoiled  and  disobedient  children  and  subjects." 

Luther  recognizes  the  difficulties  in  the  way  of  a 
salutary  domestic  training.  Some  parents  are  so 
lacking  in  piety  that,  like  the  ostrich,  they  harden 
themselves  against  their  own  offspring.  Others  by 
reason  of  their  ignorance  are  unqualified  to  raise  their 
children  in  a  proper  manner.  And  still  others,  who 
have  the  requisite  piety  and  intelligence,  are  constantly 
burdened  with  cares  and  labors.  Luther  would  have 
only  such  persons  marry  as  are  competent  to  instruct 
their  children  in  the  elements  of  religion.  "  No  one 
should  become  a  father,"  he  says,  "unless  he  is  able 
to  instruct  his  children  in  the  Ten  Commandments 
and  in  the  Gospel,  so  that  he  may  bring  up  true 
Christians.  But  many  enter  the  state  of  holy  matri- 
mony who  can  not  say  the  Lord's  Prayer,  and  know- 
ing nothing  themselves,  they  are  utterly  incompetent 
to  instruct  their  children.  Children  should  be  brought 
up  in  the  fear  of  God,  If  the  kingdom  of  God  is  to 


I2O  LUTHER  ON   EDUCATION. 

come   in  power,  we  must  begin  with  children,  and 
teach  them  from  the  cradle." 

Luther  naturally  attached  great  importance  to  re- 
ligious instruction.  The  truths  of  revelation — sin, 
redemption,  judgment,  eternal  life — were  to  him  su- 
preme realities.  Christianity  is  the  power  that  regene- 
rates our  evil  nature,  fosters  every  virtue,  and  brings 
us  into  harmony  with  God.  Whether  we  consider 
the  present  life  or  the  life  to  come,  it  fits  us  for  the 
highest  usefulness  and  happiness.  Religious  instruc- 
tion, therefore,  becomes  the  first  duty  of  the  parental 
relation.  "  See  to  it,"  Luther  says,  "  that  you  first  of 
all  have  your  children  instructed  in  spiritual  things,  * 
giving  them  first  to  God  and  afterwards  to  secular 
duties."  "  Children  should  be  instructed  in  what  per- 
tains to  God.  They  should  be  taught  to  know  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  constantly  to  remember  how 
He  has  suffered  for  us,  what  He  has  done,  and  what 
He  has  promised.  Thus  were  the  children  of  Israel 
commanded  to  relate  to  their  children  and  successors 
the  miracles  God  had  done  for  their  fathers  in  Egypt. 
And  when  children  have  this  knowledge,  and  yet  do 
not  learn  to  love  and  adore  God,  and  to  follow  Jesus 
Christ,  the  punishment  of  God  should  be  held  up  be- 
fore them — His  fearful  judgment  and  anger  at  the 
wicked.  If  a  person  learns  from  youth  up  to  recog- 


LUTHER  ON    DOMESTIC   TRAINING.  121 

nize  the  benefits  of  God,  and  hence  to  love  Him,  and 
likewise  the  punishment  and  threatenings  of  God, 
and  hence  to  fear  Him,  he  will  not  forget  it  afterwards 
when  he  is  old.  For  God  will  be  honored  in  these 
two  things,  namely,  that  we  love  Him  as  a  father  for 
His  blessings,  and  fear  Him  as  a  judge  for  His  punish- 
ment." 

The  chief  means  of  this  religious  instruction  is  the 
catechism,  the  principal  parts  of  which  are  the  Ten 
Commandments,  the  creed,  and  the  Lord's  Prayer. 
The  head  of  the  family  should  see  to  it  that  the  chil- 
dren and  servants  thoroughly  learn  these  leading 
articles  of  faith  and  duty.  At  least  once  a  week  he 
should  examine  them  in  order  to  ascertain  what  they 
have  learned;  and  if  they  are  not  familiar  with  it,  to 
keep  them  at  it.  Unwillingness  to  study  the  catechism 
Luther  characterized  as  presumption,  since  it  contains 
the  fundamental  articles  of  Christian  belief  and  duty, 
and  he  himself  set  the  example  of  reading  and  medi- 
tating upon  it  every  morning.  The  Ten  Command- 
ments, the  Creed,  and  the  Lord's  Prayer,  says  Luther, 
"  are  the  most  necessary  parts,  which  every  Christian 
should  first  learn  to  repeat  word  for  word,  and  which 
our  children  should  be  accustomed  to  recite  daily 
when  they  arise  in  the  morning,  when  they  sit  down 
to  their  meals,  and  when  they  retire  at  night;  and 


122  LUTHER   ON   EDUCATION. 

. 

until  they  repeat  them  they  should  be  given  neither 
food  nor  drink.  The  same  duty  is  also  incumbent 
upon  every  head  of  a  household,  with  respect  to  his 
man-servants  and  maid-servants,  if  they  do  not  know 
these  things  and  are  unwilling  to  learn  them.  For  a 
person  who  is  so  heathenish  as  to  be  unwilling  to 
learn  these  things  is  not  to  be  tolerated ;  for  in  these 
three  parts  everything  contained  in  the  Scriptures  is 
comprehended  in  short,  general, and  simple  terms." 

Yet  Luther  would  not  have  harshness  employed  in 
this  religious  instruction,  knowing  that  rigorous 
severity  is  apt  to  defeat  its  purpose.  On  the  con- 
trary, he  would  have  it  made  a  pleasure  to  the  chil- 
dren; and  to  this  end  we  should  adapt  ourselves  to 
their  ways,  prattle  with  them,  and  enter  into  their 
plays.  Home  should  be  made  a  delight;  but  at  all 
times,  in  joy  and  in  sorrow,  the  providence  of  God 
should  be  recognized.  "We  might  thus,"  says  Lu- 
ther, "train  our  youth,  in  a  childlike  way  and  in  the 
midst  of  their  plays,  in  God's  fear  and  honor,  so  that 
the  First  and  Second  Commandments  might  be  famil- 
iar and  in  constant  practice.  Then  some  good  might 
adhere,  spring  up  and  bear  fruit,  and  men  grow  up  in 
whom  an  entire  land  might  rejoice  and  be  glad.  This 
would  be  the  true  way  to  bring  up  children;  since,  by 
means  of  kindness,  and  with  delight,  they  can  become 


LUTHER  ON   DOMESTIC  TRAINING.  123 

accustomed  to  it.  For  what  must  only  be  forced  with 
rods  and  blows  will  have  no  good  result,  and  at  far- 
thest under  such  treatment,  they  will  remain  godly 
no  longer  than  the  rod  descends  upon  their  backs." 

Luther's  views  of  domestic  discipline,  based  at  once 
on  nature  and  Scripture,  were  of  the  soundest.  While 
strictly  requiring  obedience,  parents  should  temper 
their  government  with  moderation  and  love.  We 
should  curb  and  direct  our  children  rather  than  break 

'    ••  —• ^ ^••^^^^^KSS**^*'-"-^  r T""***™ «^^* 

their  spirit — a  course  that  renders  them  pusillanimous. 
As  Luther  confesses,  he  suffered  as  a  child  from  undue 
domestic  rigor.  In  his  own  home  at  Wittenberg,  while 
entering  with  delight  into  the  pleasures  of  his  children, 
he  was  strict  in  requiring  obedience.  He  once  refused 
for  three  days  to  receive  an  offending  son  into  favor; 
and  when  Dr.  Jonas  and  Dr.  Teutleben  interceded  for 
the  boy,  Luther  said,  "  I  would  rather  have  a  dead 
than  disobedient  son."  Commenting  on  Colossians 
iii.  21,  "  Fathers,  provoke  not  your  children  to  anger, 
lest  they  be  discouraged,"  he  says:  "The  injunction 
St.  Paul  here  gives  pertains  to  the  mind;  for  of  the 
body  he  in  this  place  says  nothing.  He  forbids  that 
parents  should  provoke  their  children  to  anger,  and 
thus  discourage  them.  This  is  spoken  against  those 
who  use  passionate  violence  in  bringing  up  their 
children.  Such  discipline  begets  in  the  child's  mind, 


124  LUTHER   ON   EDUCATION. 

which  is  yet  tender,  a  state  of  fear  and  imbecility,  and 
develops  a  feeling  of  hate  towards  the  parents,  so  that 
it  often  runs  away  from  home.  What  hope  can  we 
have  for  a  child  that  hates  and  distrusts  its  parents? 
Yet  St.  Paul  does  not  mean  that  we  should  not  punish 
children,  but  that  we  should  punish  them  from  love, 
seeking  not  to  cool  our  anger,  but  to  make  them 
better." 

The  parent  should  understand  his  responsibility, 
and  not  ruin  his  child  from  a  false  tenderness.  The 
soul  of  the  child  is  more  than  the  body,  and  its  char- 
acter should  not  be  ruined  through  a  neglect  of  the 
rod.  Luther's  nature  was  far  too  sound  ever  to  sink 
into  morbid  sentimentality,  and  he  quotes  with  ap- 
proval the  well  known  declaration  of  Solomon.  "A 
false  love,"  he  says  "  blinds  parents  so  that  they  regard 
the  body  of  their  child  more  than  his  soul.  Hence 
the  wise  man  says,  '  He  that  spareth  his  rod  hateth  his 
son :  but  he  that  loveth  him  chasteneth  him  betimes' 
(Prov.  xiii.  24)  ....  Hence  it  is  highly  necessary 
that  all  parents  regard  the  soul  of  their  child  more 
than  his  body,  and  look  upon  him  as  a  precious, 
eternal  treasure,  which  God  has  entrusted  to  them  for 
preservation,  so  that  the  world,  the  flesh,  and  the 
devil  do  not  destroy  him.  For  at  death  and  in  the 
judgment  they  will  have  to  render  a  strict  account  of 
their  stewardship." 


LUTHER   ON    DOMESTIC   TRAINING.  125 

There  are  three  ways  in  which  parents  ruin  their 
children — by  neglect,  by  bad  example,  and  by  worldly 
training.  "Those  parents  that  knowingly  neglect  their 
children  and  let  them  grow  up  without  proper  instruc- 
tion, bring  about  their  ruin;  and  though  they  do  not 
set  a  bad  example,  yet  they  spoil  their  children  byt  un- 
due indulgence.  .  .  .  Such  people  as  thus  fondle 
and  indulge  their  children  must  bear  the  sins  of  their 
children  as  if  committed  by  themselves."  "There  are 
others  who  ruin  their  children  by  setting  them  a  bad 
example  in  word  and  deed There  are  peo- 
ple that  are  delighted  when  their  sons  are  pugnacious 
and  willing  to  fight,  as  if  it  were  a  great  honor  for 
them  to  be  afraid  of  no  one.  Such  people  will  in  the 
end  pay  dearly  for  their  folly,  when  they  are  called  to 
mourn  the  untimely  death  that  often  with  justice  over- 
takes their  sons.  Young  people  are  inclined  to  evil 
desires  and  to  anger,  and  therefore  it  is  necessary  that 
parents  should  not  excite  them  thereto  by  their  example 
in  word  and  deed.  For  when  a  child  is  accustomed 
to  hear  shameful  words  and  oaths  from  its  parents, 
what  else  can  it  learn  but  shameful  words  and  oaths?" 
"  The  third  class  that  ruin  their  children  are  those  who 
teach  them  to  love  the  world,  and  who  have  no  other 
solicitude  than  that  their  children  acquire  an  imposing 
bearing,  learn  to  dance  and  dress,  and  cut  a  figure  in  so- 


126  LUTHER    ON    EDUCATION. 

ciety.  We  find  but  few  at  the  present  time  who  are  as 
solicitous  that  their  children  be  provided  with  those 
things  that  relate  to  God  and  the  soul,  as  that  they  be 
provided  with  clothes,  pleasures,  wealth,  and  honor." 
The  sum  of  filial  duty  as  enjoined  in  the  Fourth 
Commandment  is  given  by  Luther  as  follows:  "  Learn, 
therefore,  what  is  the  honor  toward  parents  required 
by  this  Commandment;  first,  that  they  be  held  in 
honor  and  esteemed  above  all  things,  as  the  most 
precious  treasure  on  earth.  Secondly,  that  in  our 
words  to  them  we  observe  modesty,  and  do  not  speak 
roughly,  haughtily,  and  defiantly;  but  yield  to  them 
in  silence,  even  though  they  go  too  far.  Thirdly,  also 
with  respect  to  works,  that  we  show  them  such  honor 
with  body  and  possessions,  as  to  serve  them,  help 

~*  »      ••  * 

them,  and  provide  for  them  when  old,  sick,  infirm,  or 
poor,  and  all  that  not  only  gladly,  but  with  humility 
and  reverence,  as  doing  it  before  God.  For  he  who 
knows  how  to  regard  them  in  his  heart  will  not  allow 
them  to  suffer  hunger  or  want,  but  will  place  them 
above  and  near  him,  and  will  share  with  them  what- 
ever he  has  and  can  obtain." 

Interesting  and  valuable  extracts  might  be  indefi- 
nitely extended;  but  enough  has  been  said  to  exhibit 
Luther's  beautiful  ideal  of  domestic  life.  Marriage  is 
to  be  honored  as  a  divine  institution — the  source  of 


LUTHER   ON    DOMESTIC  TRAINING.  12"J 

the  highest  earthly  pleasures.  The  family  occupies  a 
fundamental  relation  to  both  civil  and  divine  govern- 
ment, since  it  has  the  training  of  the  future  citizen  and 
servant  of  God.  By  natural  and  divine  right,  authority 
is  lodged  in  the  parents,  who  occupy  at  once  the 
threefold  office  of  prophet,  priest,  and  king.  It  is  their 
function  to  instruct,  to  train,  and  to  govern.  The  im- 
mediate end  to  be  attained  is  the  welfare  and  happiness 
of  the  family  itself;  and  more  remotely,  the  prepara- 
tion of  the  young  for  useful  and  righteous  living  after 
their  departure  from  the  paternal  roof.  Children  are 
to  be  regarded  as  a  precious  gift  of  God.  Domestic 
government  is  to  be  administered  in  wisdom  and  love, 
which  will  prevent  injustice,  caprice,  and  passionate 
violence.  The  instruction  of  children,  which  should 
include  every  thing  necessary  for  after  life,  should  be- 
gin with  religion  as  the  most  important  of  all  subjects. 
The  character  should  be  based  on  a  sense  of  personal 
obligation  and  responsibility  to  God,  and  the  whole 
life  be  directed  to  a  fulfilment  of  the  divine  command- 
ments in  all  their  relations.  The  parents  should  in  all 
things  set  an  example  of  upright  living;  and  as  long 
as  the  children  are  under  parental  control,  they  should 
be  held  to  respect,  love  and  obedience.  Thus  trained, 
they  go  forth  into  life  to  become  honored  and  useful 
members  of  society. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

LUTHER  ON  SCHOOLS. 

Luther  contributed  in  various  ways  to  the  advance- 
ment of  education,  and  in  this  respect,  as  in  many 
others,  he  rises  high  above  all  his  contemporaries. 
With  his  usual  penetration,  he  perceived  at  once  the 
obligation  and  necessity  of  maintaining  schools,  and 
with  powerful  words  urged  this  duty  upon  parents, 
cities,  and  princes.  He  pointed  out  the  glaring  defects 
of  the  schools  of  the  time,  and  indicated  improvements 
in  both  studies  and  methods.  For  religious  instruc- 
/  tion,  which  he  made  prominent,  he  wrote  a  catechism 
which,  after  the  lapse  of  more  than  three  centuries, 
has  not  been  superseded  in  the  large  body  of  Protes- 
tants bearing  his  name.  In  co-operation  with  Me- 
lanchthon,  he  drew  up  plans  for  primary  and  second- 
ary schools,  and  from  the  University  of  Wittenberg 
sent  forth  many  enlightened  and  successful  teachers. 
He  pointed  out  with  gVeat  clearness  the  fundamental 
truths,  upon  which  all  state  and  religious  education 
must  rest.  If  he  did  not  emphasize  education  for  its 
own  sake,  it  was  because  his  practical  mind  was  ob- 
(128) 


LUTHER   ON   SCHOOLS.  1 29 

sorbed  by  the  pressing  needs  of  the  time.  Unfortu- 
nately, as  often  happens  with  great  reformers,  he  was 
not  fully  understood  by  the  men  of  his  age;  and  this 
fact,  in  connection  with  the  religious  wars-that  followed 
after  his  death,  prevented  his  ideas  from  being  fully 
realized  in  practice.  But  even  for  the  advanced  peda- 
gogy of  to-day  his  writings  contain  many  useful  les-- 
sons. 

Luther  urged  many  considerations  for  the  establish- 
ment of  schools.  On  account  of  the  religious  disturb- 
ances, the  educational  institutions  maintained  under 
the  Papacy  were  declining,  and  parents  were  becoming 
more  indifferent.  This  neglect  of  education  appeared 
to  the  Reformer  as  the  work  of  the  devil,  who  was 
thereby  seeking  the  destruction  of  society  and  the 
Church.  "Therefore  I  beg  you  all,"  says  Luther,  "in 
the  name  of  God  and  of  our  neglected  youth,  not  to 
think  of  this  subject  lightly,  as  do  many  who  do  not 
see  what  the  prince  of  this  world  intends.  For  the 
right  instruction  of  youth  is  a  matter  in  which  Christ 
and  all  the  world  are  concerned.  Thereby  are  we  all 
aided.  And  consider  that  great  Christian  zeal  is 
needed  to  overcome  the  silent,  «^cret,  and  artful  mach- 
inations of  the  devil.  If  we  must  annually  expend 
large  sums  on  muskets,  roads,  bridges,  dams,  and  the 
like,  in  order  that  the  city  may  have  temporal  peace 
6* 


130  LUTHER   ON    EDUCATION. 

and  comfort,  why  should  we  not  apply  as  much  to  our 
poor  neglected  youth,  in  order  that  they  may  have  a 
skilful  schoolmaster  or  two?" 

The  Germans  ought  to  be  moved,  Luther  said,  to 
contribute  of  their  means  to  the  support  of  schools, 
because  they  had  been  relieved  of  papal  exactions. 
The  great  opportunities  afforded  Germany  by  the  Re- 
formation should  not  be  suffered  to  pass  without  im- 
provement. "  I  believe  Germany  has  never  had  so 
much  of  the  Word  of  God,"  says  Luther,  "as  at  the 
present  time;  history  reveals  no  similar  period.  If  we 
let  the  gracious  season  pass  without  gratitude  and  im- 
provement, it  is  to  be  feared  that  we  shall  suffer  still 
more  terrible  darkness  and  distress.  My  dear  coun- 
trymen, buy  while  the  market  is  at  your  door;  gather 
the  harvest  while  the  sun  shines  and  the  weather  is 
fair;  use  the  grace  and  Word  of  God  while  they  are 
near.  For  know  this,  that  the  Word  and  grace  of 
God  are  like  a  passing  shower,  which  does  not  return 
where  it  has  once  been.  The  divine  favor  once  rested 
upon  the  Jews,  but  it  has  departed.  Paul  brought  the 
Gospel  into  Greece,  but  now  they  have  the  Turks. 
Rome  and  Italy  once  enjoyed  its  blessings,  but  now 
they  have  the  Pope.  And  the  German  people  should 
not  think  that  they  will  always  have  it,  for  ingratitude 
and  neglect  will  banish  it."  It  is  the  will  of  God  that 


LUTHER   ON   SCHOOLS.  13! 

children  should  be  instructed,  as  is  abundantly  shown 
by  Old  Testament  injunctions.  In  view  of  all  these 
considerations,  Luther's  feelings  were  moved,  and  he 
exclaimed:  "It  is  indeed  a  sin  and  shame  that  we 
must  be  aroused  and  incited  to  the  duty  of  educating 
our  children  and  of  considering  their  highest  interests, 
whereas  nature  itself  should  move  us  thereto,  and 
the  example  of  the  heathen  affords  us  varied  instruc- 
tion. There  is  no  irrational  animal  that  does  not  care 
for  and  instruct  its  young  in  what  they  should  know, 
except  the  ostrich  .  .  .  And  what  would  it  avail  if  we 
possessed  and  performed  all  else,  and  became  perfect 
saints,  if  we  neglect  that  for  which  we  chiefly  live, 
namely,  to  care  for  the  young?  In  my  judgment  -^ 
there  is  no  other  outward  offence  that  in  the  sight  of 
God  so  heavily  burdens  the  world,  and  deserves  such 
heavy  chastisement,  as  the  neglect  to  educate  chil-  . 
dren." 

* 

The  two  great  reasons  always  prominent  in  Luther's 
mind  for  the  maintenance  of  schools  were  the  welfare 
of  the  Church  and  the  needs  of  the  State.  Around 
these  two  central  thoughts  may  be  grouped  nearly  all 
that  he  wrote  on  education.  His  sermon  on  the  "  Duty 
of  Sending  Children  to  School " — his  most  extended 
educational  treatise — is  divided  into  (i)  the  spiritual, 
and  (2)  the  temporal  benefits  of  education.  In  the 


132  LUTHER   ON   EDUCATION. 

introduction  to  a  treatise  by  Justus  Menius,*  Luther 
presents  his  views  in  a  compendious  manner:  "This 
little  book  will  be  highly  useful  to  heedless  parents, 
that  they  may  learn  what  God  has  commanded  them 
concerning  their  children.  If  you  have  a  child  capable 
of  learning,  you  are  not  free  to  bring  it  up  as  you 
please,  or  to  deal  with  it  according  to  your  caprice, 
but  you  must  consider  that  you  are  under  obligation  to 


God  to  promote  both  spiritual  and  secular  government, 
and  to  serve  Him  thereby.  God  needs  pastors,  preach- 
ers, school  teachers  in  His  spiritual  kingdom,  and  you 
can  provide  them ;  if  you  do  not,  behold,  you  rob,  not 
a  poor  man  of  his  coat,  but  the  kingdom  of  God  of 
many  souls.  .  .  .  Thus,  also,  in  secular  govern- 
ment, you  can  serve  your  sovereign  or  country  better 
by  training  children  than  by  building  castles  and  cities, 
and  collecting  treasures  from  the  whole  earth.  For 
what  good  can  these  do,  without  learned,  wise,  and 
pious  people?" 

Schools  help  the  Church  by  imparting  a  Christian 
training  to  children,  by  preparing  useful  teachers  and 
heads  of  families,  and  by  fitting  ministers  to  preach 
and  defend  the  Gospel.  "When  schools  prosper," 
says  Luther,  "the  Church  remains  righteous  and  her 

*Vorrede  zu  Justi  Menii  Btichlein  von  Christlicher  Haus- 
haltung.  1 529. 


LUTHER   ON   SCHOOLS.  133 

doctrine  pure  ....  Young  pupils  and  students  are 
the  seed  and  source  of  the  Church.  If  we  were  dead, 
whence  would  come  our  successors,  if  not  from  the 
schools?  For  the  sake  of  the  Church  we  must  have 
and  maintain  Christian  schools.  They  may  not  ap- 
pear attractive,  but  they  are  useful  and  necessary. 
Children  are  taught  the  Lord's  Prayer  and  the  Creed, 
and  thus  the  Church  is  wonderfully  aided  through  the 
primary  schools." 

Luther  set  a  high  value  on  the  ministerial  office, 
both  because  of  its  divine  institution,  and  of  its  neces- 
sity for  the  advancement  of  the  Church.  He  saw,  too, 
in  its  religious  teaching  a  strong  support  of  civil  order. 
Nothing  can  exceed  the  vigor  with  which  he  admon- 
ishes parents  to  give  their  sons  to  the  ministry.  They 
are  reminded  of  their  obligation  to  God,  of  the  good 
they  may  accomplish  through  their  children,  and  of 
the  evil  that  will  result  from  withholding  them  from 
the  clerical  office.  "  You  have  children  and  can  give 
them,"  Luther  says,  "but  will  not  do  it;  thus,  so  far 
as  you  are  concerned,  the  ministry  falls  to  the  ground. 
And  because  you  with  gross  ingratitude  let  the  sacred 
office,  so  dearly  purchased,  languish  and  die,  you  will 
be  accursed,  and  in  your  own  person  or  in  your  chil- 
dren you  will  suffer  shame  and  sorrow,  or  otherwise 
be  so  tormented  that  you  will  be  damned  with  them 


134  LUTHER   ON   EDUCATION. 

.  * 

not  only  here  on  earth  but  eternally  in  hell.  This 
will  not  fail  to  come  upon  you,  in  order  that  you  may 
learn  that  your  children  are  not  so  entirely  your  own, 
that  you  can  withhold  them  from  God ;  he  will  have 
justice,  and  they  are  more  His  than  yours." 

It  is  a  mistake  to  suppose,  as  some  have  done,  that 
Luther  was  interested  in  education  solely  for  the  sake 
of  the  Church.  His  views  were  much  too  broad  for 
that.  He  complained  that  the  Papists  conducted 
schools  almost  exclusively  in  the  interests  of  the  priest- 
hood. He  regarded  civil  government  as  a  divine  in- 
stitution, and  also  as  a  necessary  arrangement  for 
social  order  and  happiness.  On  both  grounds  it  is  to 
be  maintained.  Speaking  of  secular  government,  he 
says:  "It  is  a  beautiful  and  divine  ordinance,  an  ex- 
cellent gift  of  God,  who  ordained  it,  and  who  wishes  to 
have  it  maintained  as  indispensable  to  human  welfare; 
without  it  men  could  not  live  together  in  society,  but 
would  devour  one  another  like  irrational  animals. 
Therefore  as  it  is  the  function  and  honor  of  the  min- 
isterial office  to  make  saints  out  of  sinners,  to  restore 
the  dead  to  life,  and  to  confer  blessedness  upon  the 
lost,  to  change  the  servants  of  the  devil  into  children 
of  God :  so  it  is  the  function  and  honor  of  civil  gov- 
ernment to  make  men  out  of  wild  animals,  and  to 
restrain  them  from  degenerating  into  brutes.  It  pro- 


LUTHER  ON   SCHOOLS.  135 

tects  every  one  in  body,  so  that  he  may  not  be  injured; 
it  protects  every  one  in  family,  so  that  the  members 
may  not  be  wronged;  it  protects  every  one  in  house, 
lands,  cattle,  property,  so  that  they  may  not  be  at- 
tacked, injured,  or  stolen."* 

With  such  views  of  civil  government,  Luther  was 
simply  consistent  when  he  said :  "  Even  if  there  were  v 
no^soul,  and  men  did  not  need  schooTTand  the  lan- 
guages for  the  sake  of  Christianity  and  the  Scrip- 
tures, still  for  the  establishment  of  the  best  schools 
everywhere,  both  for  boys  and  girls,  this  consideration 
is  of  itself  sufficient,  namely,  that  society,  for  the  main- 
tenance of  civil  order  and  the  proper  regulation  of  the 
household,  needs  accomplished  and  well-trained  men 
and  women.  Now  such  men  are  to  come  from  boys,"' 
and  such  women  from  girls ;  hence  it  is  necessary  that 
boys  and  girls  be  properly  taught  and  brought  up."  f 

Luther  perceived  the  truth,  which  has  become  a 
maxim  in  modern  education,  that  the  welfare  of  a  State 
depends  on  the  intelligence  and  virtue  of  its  citizens. 
As  observation  proved  to  him,  this  vital  interest  could  ' 
not  be  wholly  entrusted  either  to  parents  or  the 
Church;  the  former  would  in  many  cases  neglect  it, 
and  the  latter  too  often  pervert  it.  "  Therefore  it  will 

*  Sermon  on  the  Duty  of  Sending  Children  to  School, 
f  Letter  to  Mayors  and  Aldermen   in  behalf  of  Christian 
Schools. 


136  LUTHER    ON    EDUCATION. 

be  the  duty  of  the  Mayors  and  Council,"  Luther  says, 
'  to  exercise  the  greatest  care  over  the  young.  For 
since  the  happiness,  honor,  and  life  of  the  city  are  com- 
mitted to  their  hands,  they  would  be  held  recreant 
before  God  and  the  world,  if  they  did  not,  day  and 
night,  with  all  their  power,  seek  its  welfare  and  im- 
provement. Now  the  welfare  of  a  city  does  not  consist 
alone  in  great  treasures,  firm  walls,  beautiful  houses, 
and  abundant  munitions  of  war;  indeed,  where  all 
these  are  found,  and  reckless  fools  come  into  power, 
the  city  sustains  the  greatest  injury.  But  the  highest 
welfare,  safety,  and  power  of  a  city  consists  in  able, 
learned,  wise,  upright,  cultivated  citizens,  who  can  se- 
cure, preserve,  and  utilize  every  treasure  and  advan- 
tage." It  is  to  be  noted,  however,  that  in  handing 
over  education  to  the  State,  Luther  did  not  contem- 
plate, as  will  be  readily  understood,  a  complete  secu- 
larization of  the  schools,  but  desired  them  to  have  a 
distinctly  Christian  character. 

Education  is  an  interest  of  such  vital  importance 
that  it  should  be  made  compulsory.  When  towns 
and  villages  are  able  to  maintain  schools,  the  sove- 
reign of  the  country  has  a  right  to  compel  them  to  do 
so,  and  likewise  to  require  parents  to  send  their  chil- 
dren. In  a  letter  to  the  Elector  John  in  1526,  Luther 
says:  "Where  there  are  towns  and  villages  which 


LUTHER   ON   SCHOOLS.  137 

have  the  ability,  your  electoral  grace  has  the  power  to 
compel  them  to  maintain  schools,  pulpits,  and  par- 
ishes. If  they  will  not  do  it  from  a  consideration  for 
their  salvation,  then  your  electoral  grace,  as  highest 
guardian  of  the  youth  and  of  all  others  needing  super- 
vision, is  to  compel  them  to  do  so,  just  as  they  are 
compelled  to  render  contributions  and  services  toward 
bridges,  paths  and  roads,  or  other  matters  pertaining 
to  the  public  interest.  Those  that  enjoy  the  privi- 
leges of  a  country,  are  to  contribute  towards  every- 
thing that  the  common  interests  of  the  country  re- 
quire. Now  there  is  nothing  more  necessary  than  to 
educate  men  who  are  to  succeed  us  and  govern." 
Again :  "  I  maintain  that  the  civil  authorities_are  , 
under  obligation  to  compel  the  people  to  send  their 
children  to  school,  especially  such  as  are  promising, 
as  has  elsewhere  been  said.  For  our  rulers  are  cer- 
tainly bound  to  maintain  the  spiritual  and  secular 
offices  and  callings,  so  that  there  may  always  be 
preachers,  jurists,  pastors,  scribes,  physicians,  school- 
masters, and  the  like;  for  these  cannot  be  dispensed 
with.  If  the  government  can  compel  such  citizens  as 
are  fit  for  military  service  to  bear  spear  and  rifle,  to 
mount  ramparts  and  perform  other  martial  duties  in 
time  of  war;  how  much  more  has  it  a  right  to  compel 
the  people  to  send  their  children  to  school,  because  in 


138  LUTHER  ON   EDUCATION. 

this  case  we  are  warring  with  the  devil,  whose  object 
it  is  secretly  to  exhaust  our  cities  and  principalities 
of  their  strong  men,  to  destroy  the  kernel  and  leave 
a  shell  of  ignorant  and  helpless^eople,  whom  he  can 
sport  and  juggle  with  at  pleasure.  That  is  starving 
out  a  city  or  country,  destroying  it  without  a  struggle, 
and  without  its  knowledge."* 

An  examination  of  Luther's  pedagogical1  writings, 
./.   shows  that  he  had  in  mind  three  classes  of  schools, 
and  thus  a  comprehensive  system  of  education:  I.  The 
/  Latin  Schools,  to  which  he  gave  most  prominence;  2. 
/  The  Universities,  which  he  wished  to  see  reformed  ; 
and  3.  Schools  for  the  common  people,  in  which  they 


might  be  fitted  for  the  various  callings  of  life.  The 
fundamental  principles  of  Protestantism,  as  we  have 
already  seen,  logically  issue  in  popular  education  —  a 
fact  that  Luther  clearly  recognized.  He  repeatedly 
urged  the  establishment  of  schools  for  girls,  which 
besides  religious  instruction  were  to  include  reading 
and  writing.  As  early  as  1520,  in  his  Address  to  the 
/  Christian  Nobility  of  the  German  Nation,  he  says: 
"Above  all,  in  schools  of  all  kinds  the  chief  and  most 
common  lesson  should  be  the  Scriptures,  and  for 
young  boys  the  Gospel;  and  would  to  God  each  town 
had  also  a  girls'  school,  in  which  girls  might  be  taught 

*  Sermon  on  Duty  of  Sending  Children  to  School. 


LUTHER  ON  SCHOOLS.  139 

the  Gospel  for  an  hour  daily,  either  in  German  or  Latin ! 
In  truth,  schools,  monasteries,  and  convents  were 
founded  for  this  purpose,  and  with  good  Christian  in- 
tentions, as  we  read  concerning  St.  Agnes,  and  other 
saints;  then  were  there  holy  virgins  and  martyrs,  and 
in  those  times  it  was  well  with  Christendom,  but  now 
it  has  been  turned  into  nothing  but  praying  and  sing- 
ing. Should  not  every  Christian  be  expected  by  his 
ninth  or  tenth  year  to  know  all  the  holy  Gospels,  con- 
taining as  they  do  his  very  name  and  life?"  In  a 
passage  already  quoted,  Luther  declares  that  the 
maintenance  of  civil  order  and  the  proper  regulation 
of  the  household  require  "the  establishment  of  the 
best  schools  everywhere,  both  for  boys  and  girls!'  In 
the  constitution  of  the  congregation  at  Leisnic,  pub- 
lished and  commended  by  Luther  as  a  model,  we  find 
the  following :  "  The  ten  directors,  in  the  name  of  the 
congregation,  shall  have  power  to  call,  appoint,  and 
remove  a  school  teacher  for  the  young  boys.  .  .  . 
In  like  manner  the  ten  directors,  out  of  the  common 
treasury,  shall  provide  an  honorable,  mature,  and 
blameless  woman  to  instruct  young  girls  under  twelve 
years  of  age  in  Christian  discipline,  honor,  and  virtue, 
and  at  a  suitable  place  to  teach  them  reading  and 
writing  in  German  a  few  hours  daily."  In  a  letter  to 
the  Elector  John  in  1530,  Luther  expressed  his  joy  at 


I4O  LUTHER   ON    EDUCATION. 

the  progress  of  education  among  the  common  people: 
"  The  tender  youth  of  both  sexes  now  grow  up  so  well 
instructed  in  the  catechism  and  Scripture,  that  my 
heart  delights  to  behold  how  the  boys  and  girls  are 
able  to -pray,  to  exercise  their  faith,  and  to  speak 
more  of  God  and  of  Christ  than  all  the  cloisters,  con- 
vents, and  schools  have  hitherto  been  able  to  do." 

Circumstances  were  allowed  to  determine  the  way 
in  which  schools  should  be  supported.  In  some  cases 
a  tuition  fee  was  charged,  and  in  others  the  teacher 
was  paid  out  of  the  common  treasury  of  the  congrega- 
tion or  State.  The  property  of  the  cloisters,  which  in 
northern  Germany  had  been  emptied  of  monks  and 
nuns,  Luther  desired  to  have  appropriated  to  educa- 
tional and  ecclesiastical  uses.  This  was  done  in  many 
cases.  The  people  were  urged  to  contribute  liberally 
to  the  support  of  schools,  and  Luther  recommended 
education  as  a  suitable  object  for  bequests.  "  There- 
fore," says  Luther,  "  let  him  fwho  can,  watch ;  and 
wherever  the  government  sees  a  promising  boy,  let 
him  be  sent  to  school.  If  the  father  is  poor,  let 
the  child  be  aided  with  the  property  of  the  Church. 
The  rich  should  make  bequests  to  such  objects,  as 
some  have  done,  who  have  founded  scholarships ;  that 
is  giving  money  to  the  Church  in  a  proper  way. 
You  do  not  thus  release  the  souls  of  the  dead  from 


LUTHER    ON   SCHOOLS.  14! 

purgatorial  fire,  but  you  help,  through  the  mainte- 
nance of  divinely  appointed  offices,  to  prevent  the  liv- 
ing from  going  to  purgatory ;  yea,  you  secure  their 
deliverance  from  hell  and  entrance  into  heaven,  and 
bestow  upon  them  temporal  peace  and  happiness. 
That  would  be  a  praiseworthy  Christian  bequest,  in 
which  God  would  take  pleasure,  and  for  which  He 
would  honor  and  bless  you,  that  you  might  have  joy 
and  peace  in  Him." 

Luther  insisted  on  the  importance  of  school  train- 
ing,'as  is  shown  in  the  following  passage:  "But  each 
one,  you  say,  may  educate  and  discipline  his  own  sons 
and  daughters.  To  which  I  reply:  we  see  indeed 
how  it  goes  with  this  teaching  and  training!  And 
when  it  is  carried  to  the  highest  point,  and  is  attended 
with  success,  it  results  in  nothing  more  than  that 
the  learners,  in  some  measure,  acquire  a  forced  exter- 
nal propriety  of  manner;  in  other  respects  they  remain 
dunces,  knowing  nothing,  and  incapable  of  giving  ad- 
vice or  aid.  But  were  they  instructed  in  schools  or 
elsewhere  by  thoroughly  qualified  male  or  female 
teachers,  who  taught  the  languages,  other  arts,  and 
history,  then  the  pupils  would  hear  the  history  and 
maxims  of  the  world,  and  see  how  things  went  with 
each  city,  kingdom,  prince,  man  and  woman;  and 
thus,  in  a  short  time,  they  would  be  able  to  compre- 


142  LUTHER    ON    EDUCATION. 

hend  as  in  a  mirror,  the  character,  life,  counsels, 
undertakings,  successes,  and  failures  of  the  whole 
world  from  the  beginning.  From  this  knowledge 
they  could  regulate  their  views,  and  order  their 
course  of  life  in  the  fear  of  God,  having  become  wise 
in  judging  what  is  to  be  sought  and  what  avoided  in 
this  outward  life,  and  capable  of  advising  and  directing 
others.  But  the  training  that  is  given  at  home  is  ex- 
pected to  make  us  wise  through  our  own  experience. 
Before  that  can  take  place,  we  shall  die  a  hundred 
times,  and  all  through  life  act  injudiciously;  for  much 
time  is  needed  to  give  experience." 

Luther  highly  esteemed  the  office  of  teaching ;  he 
recognized  not  only  its  importance,  but  also  its  diffi- 
culties. "An  industrious,  pious  school-master  or 
teacher,"  he  says,  "who  faithfully  trains  and  educates 
boys,  can  never  be  sufficiently  recompensed,  and  no 
money  will  pay  him,  as  even  the  heathen  Aris- 
totle says.  Yet  the  calling  is  shamefully  despised 
among  us,  as  if  it  were  nothing,  and  at  the  same  time 
we  pretend  to  be  Christians!  If  J  had  to  give  up 
preaching  and  my  other  duties,  there  is  no  office  I 
would  rather  have  than  that  of  school-teacher.  For  I 
know  that  next  to  the  ministry  it  is  the  most  useful, 
greatest;  and  best;  and  I  am  not  sure  which  of  the 
two  is  to  be  preferred.  For  it  is  hard  to  make  old  dogs 


LUTHER   ON   SCHOOLS.  /1 43 

docile  and  old  rogues  pious,  yet  that  is  what  the  min- 
istry works  at,  and  must  work  at,  in  great  part,  in 
vain ;  but  young  trees,  though  some  may  break  in  the 
process,  are  more  easily  bent  and  trained.  Therefore 

let  it  be  considered  one  of  the  highest  virtues  on  earth 

• 
faithfully  to  train  the  children  of  others,  which  duty 

but  very  few  parents  attend  to  themselves."*  And 
again :  "  I  would  have  no  one  chosen  for  a  preacher  / 
who  has  not  previously  been  a  school-teacher.  But 
at  the  present  time  our  young  men  want  to  become 
preachers  at  once,  and  to  avoid  the  labor  of  school- 
keeping,  When  one  has  taught  about  ten  years,  then 
he  can  give  it  up  with  a  good  conscience;  for  the 
labor  is  too  heavy  and  the  appreciation  is  small.  Yet 
a  school-master  is  as  important  to  a  city  as  a  pastor 
is.  We  can  do  without  mayors,  princes,  and  noble- 
'men,  but  not  without  schools;  for  these  must  rule  the 
world.  We  see  to-day  that  there  is  no  potentate  or 
lord  who  is  not  ruled  by  a  jurist  or  theologian;  for 
they  are  ignorant  themselves,  and  are  ashamed  to 
learn.  Therefore  schools  are  indispensable.  And  if  I 
were  not  a  preacher,  there  is  no  other  calling  on  earth 
I  would  rather  have.  But  we  must  consider,  not  how 
the  world  esteems  and  rewards  it,  but  how  God  looks 
upon  it."f 

*  Sermon  on  Duty  of  Sending  Children  to  School, 
f  Aus  den  Tischreden. 


144  LUTHER   ON    EDUCATION. 

/The  universities  did  not  meet  the  requirements  of 
,uther's  practical  mind.  The  principle  of  authority 
prevailed  in  them,  to  the  suppression  of  independent 
investigation;  the  energy  of  the  students  was  often 
wasted  on  useless  or  even  frivolous  questions ;  and  the 
results  attained  in  culture  did  not  correspond  to  the 
outlay  of  time  and  effort.  In  his  Address  to  the 
Nobility  in  1520,  Luther  says:  "The  universities 
also  require  a  good,  sound  reformation.  This  I  must 
say,  let  it  vex  whom  it  may.  The  fact  is  that  what- 
ever the  Papacy  has  ordered  or  instituted  is  only 
designed  for  the  propagation  of  sin  and  error.  What 
are  the  universities,  as  at  present  ordered,  but  as  the 
,  Book  of  Maccabees  says,  'schools  of  Greek  fashion 
and  heathenish  manners,'  full  of  dissolute  living, 
where  very  little  is  taught  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  and 
of  the  Christian  faith,  and  the  blind  heathen  teacher,' 
Aristotle,  rules  even  further  than  Christ.  Now  my 
advice  would  be  that  the  books  of  Aristotle,  the 
'Physics,'  the  'Metaphysics,'  'Of  the  Soul,'  and 
'  Ethics,'  which  have  hitherto  been  considered  the 
best,  be  altogether  abolished,  with  all  others  that  pro- 
fess to  treat  of  nature,  though  nothing  can  be  learned 
j(  from  them,  either  of  natural  or  spiritual  things.  Be- 
sides, no  one  has  been  able  to  understand  his  mean- 
ing, and  much  time  has  been  wasted,  and  many 
vexed  with  much  useless  labor,  study,  and  expense." 


146  LUTHER  ON   EDUCATION. 

of  the  masses,  that  they  might  better  discharge  their 
domestic,  religious,  and  social  duties;  he  urged  the 
necessity  of  secondary  schools  for  those  who  were  to 
pursue  professional  careers  in  Church  and  State ;  he 
defended  the  higher  education  of  the  universities, 
where  the  final  preparation  for  learned  vocations  was 
to  be  obtained.  In  education,  as  in  religion,  Luther 
showed  himself  great,  a  seer  in  advance  of  his  age,  the 
founder  of  a  new  and  higher  culture. 


LUTHER   ON  SCHOOLS.  145 

As  is  evident  from  the  foregoing  survey,  Luther  / 
approached  education  from  the  practical  side.  He 
was  led  to  this  aspect  of  the  subject  both  by  the  na- 
tive bent  of  his  mind,  and  the  urgent  necessities  of  the 
Church  and  State.  While  recognizing  education  as  a 
development  or  strengthening  of  our  native  powers, 
he  directed  his  attention  most  to  its  character  as  a 
preparation  for  the  various  duties  of  life.  He  would 
have  accepted  Milton's  definition  as  a  clear  embodiment 
of  his  views :  "  I  call  a  complete  and  generous  educa- 
tion that  which  fits  a  man  to  perform  justly,  skillfully  , 
and  magnanimously  all  the  offices,  both  private  and 
public,  of  peace  and  war."  He  would  have  made  no 
objection  to  the  definition  of  Herbert  Spencer — "  Edu- 
cation is  the  preparation  for  complete  living" — 
though  differing  from  the  Englishman  in  his  concep- 
tion of  "complete  living."  He  would  have  been 
pleased  with  Niemeyer's  definition  :  "  Education  is  at 
once  the  art  and  the  science  of  guiding  the  young  and 
of  putting  them  in  a  condition,  by  the  aid  of  instruc- 
tion, through  the  power  of  emulation  and  good 
example,  to  attain  the  triple  end  assigned  to*  man  by 
his  religious,  social,  and  national  destination."  The 
schools  of  Germany  to-day  are  but  a  realization,  more 
or  less  complete,  of  Luther's  ideas.  He  sought  the 
establishment  of  primary  schools  for  the  instruction 

*  * 


• 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

LUTHER  OB  STUDIES  AND  METHODS. 

T  UTHER  had  a  profoundly  religious  nature,  gave 
M  his  life  to  religious  interests,  and  saturated  his 
thought  and  feeling  with  religious  truth.  He  looked 
upon  religion  not  only  as  the  highest  interest  of  life, 
but  as  the  basis  of  all  worthy  living.  It  was  natural, 
therefore,  that  he  should  emphasize  religious  instruc- 
tion, and  make  the  Scriptures  prominent  in  schools  of 
every  grade.  "Above  all,"  he  says,  "in  schools  of 
all  kinds  the  chief  and  most  common  lesson  should 
be  the  Scriptures,  and  for  young  boys  the  Gospel; 
and  would  to  God  each  town  had  also  a  girls'  school, 
in  which  girls  might  be  taught  the  Gospel  for  an  hour 
liaily,  either  in  German  or  Latin !  .  .  .  But  where  the 
Holy  Scriptures  are  not  the  rule,  I  advise  no  one  to 
send  his  child.  Everything  must  perish  where  God's 
L  Word  is  not  studied  unceasingly;  and  so  we  see  what 
IBnanner  of  men  there  are  now  in  the  universities,  and 
all  this  is  the  fault  of  no  one  but  the  Pope,  the 
bishops,  and  prelates,  to  whom  the  welfare  of  the 
young  has  been  entrusted."  "  The  soul  can  do  with- 
(147) 


148  LUTHER   ON   EDUCATION. 

out  everything  except  the  Word  of  God.  Without  this 
it  suffers  need.  But  when  it  has  the  Word  of  God,  it 
needs  nothing  more,  but  has  in  the  Word  enough — 
food,  joy,  peace,  light,  art,  righteousness,  truth,  free- 
dom, and  every  good  thing  in  abundance."  To  pro- 
mote this  knowledge  of  the  Scriptures,  to  place  this 
priceless  treasure  in  the  hands  of  the  people,  Luthdr 
translated  the  Bible,  which  was  seized  upon  with  such 
avidity  that  in  a  few  years  nearly  half  a  million  copies 
were  in  circulation.  It  became  a  mighty  influence  in 
Germany — an  important  factor  in  giving  that  country 
its  present  pre-eminence  in  Europe. 

In  teaching  the  Bible,  Luther  recognized  the  value 
of  wide  experience  and  extensive  learning.  "  Who- 
ever," he  says,  "  is  to  teach  others,  especially  out  of 
the  Holy  Scriptures,  and  rightly  to  understand  this 
book,  must  first  have  observed  and  learned  to  know 
the  world."  "  One  knife  cuts  better  than  another,  and 
thus  can  one,  who  understands  the  languages  and  arts, 
speak  and  teach  best."  In  preparation  for  teaching 
the  Scripture,  Luther  recommends  the  most  painstak- 
ing examination  of  the  words  of  the  text,  as  well  as  pro- 
longed meditation  in  the  heart.  "You  should  net 
only  consider  the  words  in  your  heart,  but  examine 
them  diligently  as  they  stand  in  the  text,  that  you  may 
arrive  at  the  meaning  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  And  see  t  ^ 


LUTHER  ON   STUDIES  AND   METHODS.  149 

it,  that  you  do  not  become  weary  and  imagine  after 
reading  it  once  or  twice  that  you  understand  it  thor- 
oughly; for  such  a  course  makes,  not  profound  theol- 
ogians, but  such  as  resemble  unripe  fruit  that  falls  be- 
fore its  time." 

Next  to  the  Scriptures  Luther  attached  importance 
to  the  Catechism,  which  he  regarded  as  a  brief  sum- 
mary of  their  teaching.  Moved  by  the  great  ignor- 
ance he  discovered  during  his  visitation  of  the  Saxony 
churches,  he  prepared  in  1529  his  two  Catechisms,  of 
which  in  three  or  four  decades  a  hundred  thousand 
copies  were  in  use.  In  one  of  the  prefaces,  he  says: 
"  This  little  work  has  been  planned  and  undertaken  in 
order  to  furnish  a  course  of  instruction  for  children 
and  the  simple-minded.  Hence,  of  old,  such  works  re- 
ceived in  Greek  the  name  Qatechismt  i.  e,,  instruction, 
for  children.  Tins  of  necessity  every  Christian  should 
krtpw;  so  that  he  who  does  not  know  this  should  not 
be  reckoned  among  Christians  nor  admitted  to  the 
Sacrament,  just  as  a  mechanic  who  does  not  under- 
stand the  rules  and  customs  of  his  trade,  is  rejected 
and  regarded  incapable.  Therefore,  the  young  should 
be  thoroughly  instructed  in  the  parts  which  belong  to 
the  Catechism  or  instruction  for  children,  and  should 
diligently  exercise  themselves  therein." 

Very  significant  in  relation  to  method  are  Luther's 


I5O  LUTHER   ON   EDUCATION. 

directions  for  using  the  Catechism.  His  independent 
and  practical  mind  is  here  clearly  exhibited  in  discard- 
ing the  harsh,  mechanical,  and  uninteresting  methods 
commonly  in  use  in  his  day.  In  methods,  as  well 
as  in  studies,  though  sometimes  falling  into  error, 
Luther  deserves  to  be  ranked  with  such  educational 
reformers  as  Comenius  and  Pestalozzi.  In  the  pre- 
face of  his  Small  Catechism,  he  says:  "In  the  first 
place,  let  the  preacher  take  the  utmost  care  to  avoid 
all  changes  or  variations  in  the  text  and  wording 
of  the  Ten  Commandments,  the  Lord's  Prayer,  the 
Creeds,  the  Sacraments,  etc.  Let  him,  on  the  con- 
trary, take  each  of  the  forms  respectively,  adhere  to 
it,  and  repeat  it  anew  year  after  year.  For  young 
and  inexperienced  people  can  not  be  successfully 
instructed  unless  we  adhere  to  the  same  text  or  the 
same  forms  of  expression.  They  easily  become  con- 
fused when  the  teacher  at  one  time  employs  a  cer- 
tain form  of  words  and  expressions,  and  at  another, 
apparently  with  a  view  to  make  improvements,  adopts 
a  different  form.  The  result  of  such  a  course  will  be 
that  all  the  time  and  labor  which  we  have  expended 
will  be  lost."  The  pedagogical  principle  here  in- 
volved may  be  stated  thus  :  In  teaching  children  use 
simplicity  and  repetition.  It  is  correct.  A  hundred 
years  later  Ratich,  who  as  an  educational  reformer  oc- 


LUTHER   ON   STUDIES   AND   METHODS.  151 

cupies  a  respectable  place  in  the  History  of  Education, 
said:      "Teach  only  one  thing  at  a  time,  and  often, 
repeat  the  same  thing."     The  wisdom  of  lodging  truth!* 
in  the  young  mind  by  means  of  a  fixed  form  of  words- 
is  often  overlooked  in  the  teaching  of  the  present  day. 
Luther   continues :    "  In   the   second    place,   when , 
those  whom  you  are  instructing  have  become  familiar 
with  the  words  of  the  text,  then  teach  them  to  under- \/ 
stand  the  meaning  of  those  words,  so  that  they  may 
become  acquainted  with  the  object  and  purport  of  the 
lesson.  .  .  Allow  ample  time  for  the  lessons.     For  it: 
is  not  necessary  that  you  should,  on  the  same  occaA 
sion,  proceed  from  the  beginning  to  the  end  of  the 
several  parts  ;  it  will  be  more  profitable  if  you  present 
them  separately,  in  regular  succession.      When  the 
people  have,  for  instance,  at  length  correctly  under- 
stood the  First  Commandment,  you  may  proceed  to 
the  Second,  and  so  continue.     By  neglecting  to  ob- 
serve this  mode  the  people  will  be  overburdened,  and 
\Q   prevented   from   understanding   and    retaining   in 
memory  any  considerable  part  of  the  matter   com- 
n>micated  to  them."     About  the  thoroughness  here 
^commended  there  can  be  no  question;    but   as  a 
general  rule,  the  deductive  method,  which  begins  with 
comprehensive  statements,  should  not  be  used  with 
children.      The   inductive   method,   as   set   forth    by 


152  LUTHER   ON    EDUCATION. 

IComenius  in  the  following  statement,  is  better  adapted 
/to  child  nature:  "The  concrete  should  precede  the 
\  abstract;  the  simple,  the  complex;  the  nearer,  the 
more  remote."  Yet,  in  a  short  Catechism  like  Luther's, 
it  may  be  a  question  whether  the  deductive  method  is 
not,  after  all,  the  most  economical  and  effective. 

"  In  the  third  place,"  Luther  says,  "  when  you  have 
reached  the  end  of  the  Short  Catechism,  begin  anew 
with  the  Large  Catechism,  and  by  means  of  it  furnish 
the  people  with  fuller  and  more  comprehensive  expla- 
nations." This  gradation  in  study  is  wise.  Luther 
did  not  contemplate  a  mere  lifeless  memorizing  of  the 
doctrines  and  explanations  of  the  Catechism,  but  a 
practical  and  intelligent  instruction  that  would  bear 
fruit  in  every-day  life.  "  Insist  in  an  especial  manner," 
he  says,  "  on  such  commajndments  or  other  parts  as 
seem  to  be  most  of  all  misunderstood  or  neglected  by 
your  people.  It  will,  for  example,  be  necessary  that 
you  should  enforce  with  the  utmost  earnestness  the 
Seventh  Commandment,  which  treats  of  stealing,  when 
you  are  teaching  workmen,  dealers,  and  even  farmes 
and  servants,  inasmuch  as  many  of  these  are  guilt; 
of  various  dishonest  and  thievish  practices." 

Luther  understood   the  worth  of  the   Socratic  or 

question  method  as  a  means  of  awakening  mind  and 

impressing  truth,  and  he  recommends  it  in  a  writing  * 

*  Von  der  deutschen  Messe  und  Ordnung  des  Gottesdienstes. 


LUTHER   ON   STUDIES   AND   METHODS.  153 

published  in  1 5  26.  After  urging  the  necessity  of  home 
instruction  for  children  and  servants,  he  continues: 
"  Not  simply  that  they  may  learn  and  repeat  the  words 
by  heart,  as  has  hitherto  been  the  case,  but  let  them  be 
questioned  from  .article  to  article,  and  show  what  each 
signifies  and  how  they  understand  it.  If  everything 
can  not  be  asked  at  one  time,  take  one  article  to-day, 
and  another  to-morrow.  For  when  parents  of  guar- 
dians will  not  take  the  trouble  through  themselves  or 
others,  there  no  catechetical  instruction  can  ever  be 
successful."  Then  follows  an  illustration  of  how  this 
instruction  should  be  given.  "  The  teacher  should 
ask:  'What  do  you  pray?'  Answer:  'The  Lord's 
Prayer.'  '  What  is  meant  by  "  Our  Father  who  art  in 
Heaven  ?  "  Answer :  '  That  God  is  not  an  earthly, 
but  a  Heavenly  Father,  who  will  make  us  rich  and 
blessed  in  Heaven.'  '  What  is  meant  by  "  Hallowed 
be  Thy  name?'"  Answer:  'That  we  should  honor 
His  name  that  it  may  not  be  profaned.'  '  How  is  it 
profaned  ? '  Answer :  '  When  we,  who  are  His  children, 
lead  evil  lives,  and  teach  and  believe  error.' "  And  so 
on  with  every  statement  in  the  Catechism. 

Though  living  in  a  period  of  religious  strife,  it  is  to 
Luther's  credit  both  as  a  Christian  and  teacher  that  he 
would  not  have  the  children  perplexed  with  contro- 
versial questions.     In  the  Saxony  School  Plan,  it  is 
*" 


vi 


154  LUTHER   ON   EDUCATION. 

.said:  "The  school-master  shall  impress  upon  the 
children  those  truths  that  are  necessary  to  right  living, 
as  the  fear  of  God,  faith,  and  good  works.  He  shall 
not  speak  of  polemical  matters.  He  shall  not,  as 
many  unskilful  teachers  do,  accustom  the  children  to 
hate  the  monks  and  others." 

Luther  was   a   careful   observer   of   children,   and 
isely  proposed  to  adapt  his  methods  of  instruction  to 
v  their  nature.     In  this  he  anticipated  our  modern  peda- 

Lgogy.  In  speaking  of  the  severe  punishment  received 
in  his  childhood,  he  says  of  his  parents  that  "  they 
meant  it  perfectly  well,  but  were  not  able,  as  regards 
dispositions,  to  observe  the  distinction,  according  to 
which  punishment  must  be  meted  out."  -  In  the  "  Let- 
ter to  the  Mayors  and  Aldermen,"  he  proposes  to 
utilize  the  natural  activity  and  acquisitiveness  of 
children  in  education.  "  Now  since  the  young  must 
leap  and  jump,  or  have  something  to  do,  because  they 
have  a  natural  desire  for  it  that  should  not  be  re- 
strained, (for  it  is  not  well  to  check  them  in  every- 
thing,) why  should  we  not  provide  such  schools,  and 
lay  before  them  such  studies?/  By  the  gracious 
arrangement  of  God,  children  take  delight  in  acquiring 
knowledge,  whether  languages,  mathematics,  or  his- 
tory." \In  the  Large  Catechism  Luther  lays  down  the 
important  principle  that*  learning  should  be  made 


LUTHER    ON    Sir  DIES   AND    METHODS.  1 55 

pleasant  to  children.  "  Since  we  are  preaching  to 
children,  we  must  aL-o  prattle  with  them."  "  What 
must  be  forced  with  rods  and  blows  will  have  no  good 

result,  and  at  farthest,  under  such  treatment,  they  will 
-__*. 

remain  godly  no  longer  than  the  rod  descends  upon 
their  backs."  Elsewhere,  after  commending  an  inter- 
esting device  (that  of  two  little  bags  with  pockets)  for 
impressing  the  meaning  of  faith  and  love,  Luther  says : 
"  Let  no  one  think  himself  too  wise,  and  disdain  such 
child's  play.  When  Christ  wished  to  teach  men,  he 
became  a  man.  If  we  are  to  teach  children,  we  must 
become  children.  Would  to  God  we  had  more  of  this 
child's  play !  /  We  should  then  see  in  a  short  time  a 
great  treasure  of  Christian  people,  souls  rich  in  the 
Scriptures  and  in  the  knowledge  of  God."  j>> 

The  value  of  concrete  examples  to  illustrate  and  V  / 
enforce  abstract  truth  was  clearly  recognized  by 
Luther.  He  recommends  that  in  the  explanation  of 
his  Catechisms  many  illustrations  be  drawn  from  the 
Scriptures.  The  utility  of  history  consists  partly  in 
its  serving  to  illustrate  abstract  statements  and  princi- 
ples. "The  celebrated  Roman,  Varro,"  Luther  says 
in  an  interesting  passage,  "  affirms  that  the  best  way 
to  teach  is  to  unite  examples  with  words.  This  re- 
sults in  a  clearer  apprehension  of  what  is  taught,  and 
secures  also  its  better  retention;  otherwise,  when 


156  LUTHER   ON   EDUCATION. 

statements  are  heard  without  examples,  no  matter  how 
good  the  doctrine  may  be,  the  heart  is  not  so  deeply 
moved,  and  the  subject  is  not  so  clearly  understood 
nor  so  firmly  retained.  Therefore,  history  is  very  val- 
uable. For  whatever  philosophy  or  reason  teaches, 
that  history  supplies  with  illustrations,  and  portrays, 
as  it  were,  before  our  eyes  what  the  words  convey  to 
the  ear.  We  there  see  how  the  good  and  the  wise 
have  lived,  and  how  they  have  been  rewarded ;  and 
also  how  the  wicked  and  the  ignorant  have  done,  and 
how  they  have  been  punished." 

,  Luther  set  great  store  by  the  ancient  languages,  not 
indeed  for  their  superiority  as  an  educational  gymnas- 
tic, but  for  their  utility  in  the  service  of  the  Church. 
In  the  "  Letter  to  the  Mayors  and  Aldermen,"  he  dis- 
cusses the  matter  fully.  He  esteems  the  ancient  lan- 
guages for  their  aid  in  understanding  the  Scriptures, 
and  in  carrying  on  the  government.  It  was  through 
them  that  the  Gospel  had  been  restored  to  the  world 
in  its  purity,  and  through  them  it  was  to  be  preserved 
and  extended.  Elsewhere  he  says:  "I  do  not  hold 
with  those  who  give  themselves  to  one  language,  and 
despise  all  others.  For  I  should  like  to  bring  up  such 
people  as  can  be  of  use  to  Christ  in  foreign  lands,  that 
it  may  not  go  with  us  as  with  the  Waldenses  in  Bo- 
hemia, who  confined  their  doctrine  to  their  own  Ian- 


LUTHER   ON  STUDIES   AND   METHODS. 

guage  in  such  a  way,  that  no  one  could  clearly  under- 
stand them  without  first  learning  their  language.  But 
the  Holy  Spirit  acted  differently ;  He  did  not  wait  till 
all  the  world  came  to  Jerusalem  and  learned  Hebrew, 
but  He  bestowed  the  gift  of  tongues  upon  the  apostles, 
so  that  they  could  speak  wherever  they  came.  I  pre-»r  I 
fer  to  follow  this  example,  and  hold  it  proper  to  exer- 
cise the  young  in  many  languages ;  for  who  know$ 
how  God  may  use  them?  For  this  purpose  also 
schools  are  established."  While  emphasizing  thus  the 
importance  of  Latin,  Greek,  and  Hebrew,  in  the  inter- 
ests of  religion,  Luther  was  also  a  great  teacher  of 
his  native  language.  He  introduced  it  into  public,' 
worship,  and  encouraged  the  establishment  of  primary 
schools  in  which  it  was  employed.  Through  his  ser- 
mons, books,  hymns,  and  especially  his  translation  of 

I    ^/ 

the  Bible,  he  gave  the  German  language  a  literary 
form,  and  laid  the  basis  of  its  cultivation  and  devel- 
opment. A  few  years  after  his  death,  John  Clajus 
published  a  German  grammar,  in  which  the  Reformer's 
language  was  taken  as  the  standard. 

In  regard  to  the  best  methods  of  teaching  lan- 
guages, Luther  laid  down  principles  that  are  recog-  \ 
nized  as  fundamental  in  modern  educational  science. 
In  addition  to  the  study  of  grammar,  he  calls  attention   / 
to  the  value  of  practice,  and  distinguishes  between  a 


158  LUTHER   ON   EDUCATION. 

knowledge  of  words  and  a  knowledge  of  things.  The 
following  extract  is  worthy  of  special  attention : 
"  Every  one  learns  German  or  other  languages  much 
better  from  talking  at  home,  at  the  market,  or  in  the 
church,  than  from  books.  Printed  words  are  dead, 
spoken  words  are  living.  On  the  printed  page  they 
are  not  so  forcible  as  when  uttered  by  the  soul  of  man 
through  the  mouth.  Tell  me,  where  has,  there  ever 
been  a  language  that  one  could  learn  to  speak 
properly  from  the  grammar?  Is  it  not  true  that  even 
the  languages  that  have  the  most  clearly  defined 
rules,  as  the  Latin  and  the  Greek,  can  be  better 
learned  from  practice  and  habit  than  from  rules  ?  .  .  . 
The  science  of  grammar  teaches  and  shows  what 
words  are  called  and  what  they  mean;  but  we  should 
first  of  all  learn  the  thing  itself.  Whoever  is  to 
preach  and  teach  must  know  beforehand  what  a  thing 
is  and  what  it  is  called;  but  grammar  teaches  only  the 
last.  Knowledge  is  of  two  kinds — one  of  words,  and 
the  other  of  things.  Whoever  has  no  knowledge  of 
the  things  will  not  be  helped  by  a  knowledge  of  the 
words.  It  is  an  old  proverb  that  '  one  can  not  speak 
well  of  what  one  does  not  understand.'  Of  this  truth 
our  age  has  furnished  many  examples.  For  many 
learned  and  eloquent  men  have  uttered  foolish  and 
ridiculous  things  in  speaking  of  what  they  did  not 


LUTHER   ON   STUDIES   AND    METHODS.  159 

understand.  But  whoever  thoroughly  understands  a 
matter  will  speak  wisely  and  reach  the  heart,  though 
he  may  be  wanting  in  eloquence  and  readiness 
of  speech.  Thus  Cato  surpassed  Cicero  when  he 
spoke  in  council,  though  his  language  was  simple  and 
unadorned.  A  knowledge  of  words  or  grammar  be- 
comes easier  when  the  subject  in  hand  is  understood, 
as  Horace  also  teaches.  But  when  a  knowledge  of 
the  subject  is  wanting,  then  a  knowledge  of  words  is 
useless.  I  do  not  wish  to  be  understood  as  rejecting 
grammar,  which  is  necessary;  but  this  I  say:  if  the 
subject  is  not  studied  along  with  the  grammar,  one 
will  never  become  a  good  teacher.  For  as  some  one 
has  said,  the  teacher's  or  preacher's  discourse  should 
be  born,  not  in  his  mouth,  but  in  his  heart." 

Luther  approved  of  rhetoric  and  dialectic,  an  old 
name  for  the  practical  part  of  logic.  In  both  he  was 
himself  a  master,  as  is  abundantly  evident  from  his 
writings.  "Dialectic  instructs,"  he  says,  "and  rhetoric 
moves;  the  former  appeals  to  the  understanding,  the 
latter  to  the  will."  But  logic  can  not  supply  knowl- 
edge, it  only  shows  us  how  to  use  it.  "  It  does  not 
give  us  the  power  to  speak  of  all  subjects,  but  is 
simply  an  instrument,  by  which  we  can  speak  cor- 
rectly and  methodically  of  what  we  already  know  and 
understand."  Simple  language  is  best.  "  One  should 


l6o  LUTHER   ON   EDUCATION 

accustom  himself  to  good,  honest,  intelligible  words, 
which  are  in  common  use  and  serve  to  elucidate  the 
subject — a  gift  that  comes  from  the  grace  of  God. 
Many  would-be  scholars  purposely  obscure  a  subject 
with  odd,  unusual,  and  high-flown  words,  and  seek  a 
new  style  of  discourse,  which  is  yet  so  ambiguous  and 
unintelligible  that  it  can  be  understood  as  one  pleases." 

Luther  looked  upon  history,  not  simply  as  a  source./ 
of  illustration  for  moral  and  philosophic  truth — a  ben- 
efit spoken  of  in  a  passage  already  quoted — but  also 
as  a  portrayal  of  God's  wonderful  dealings  with  men 
and  a  leading  source  of  human  knowledge.  He 
spoke  in  strong  terms  of  its  importance.  When  urg- 
ing in  his  "  Letter  to  the  Mayors  and  Aldermen  "  the 
establishment  of  libraries,  he  said:  "A  prominent 

\place  should  be  given  to  chronicles  and  histories,  in 
whatever  languages  they  may  be  obtained ;  for  they 
are  wonderfully  useful  in  understanding  and  regulating 
the  course  of  the  world,  and  in  disclosing  the  marvel- 
ous works  of  God.\  Elsewhere  he  says  more  at 
length :  "  When  one  thoroughly  considers  the  matter, 
it  is  from  history,  as  from  a  living  fountain,  that  have 
flowed  all  laws,  sciences,  counsel,  warning,  threaten- 
ings,  comfort,  strength,  instruction,  foresight,  knowl- 
edge, wisdom,  and  all  the  virtues;  that  is  to  say,  his- 
tory is  nothing  else  than  an  indication,  recollection, 


LUTHER    ON   STUDIES   AND   METHODS.  l6l 

and  monument  of  divine  works  and  judgments,  show- 
ing how  God  maintains,  governs,  hinders,  advances,, 
punishes,  and  honors  men,  according  as  each  one  ha& 
deserved  good  or  evil.  And  although  there  are 
many  who  do  not  recognize  and  regard  God,  yet 
must  they  take  warning  from  history,  and  fear  that  it 
may  go  with  them  as  with  many  a  one  therein  por- 
trayed, whereby  they  are  moved  more  than  by  mere 
admonition  in  words;  as  we  read  not  alone  in  the 
Holy  Scriptures,  but  also  in  heathen  books,  how  men 
introduced  and  held  up  the  examples,  words,  and 
works  of  their  ancestors,  when  they  wished  to  accorn^ 
plish  something  with  the  multitude,  or  to  teach,  ad- 
monish, warn,  or  terrify. 

"Therefore  historians  are  most  useful  people  and  x 
most  excellent   teachers,  whom   we  can  never  suffi-  I 

^ ••^  ^^^^^•^•^^^^^^^^^^^ 

ciently  honor,  praise,  and  thank,  and  it  should  be  a 
care  of  our  great  lords,  as  emperors  and  kings,  to  have 
histories  of  their  times  written  and  preserved  in  libra- 
ries, and  they  should  spare  no  expense  to  procure  per- 
sons capable  of  teaching.  .  .  .  But  it  requires  a  super-   , 
ior  man  to  write  history,  a  man  with  a  lion-heart,  who/v 
dares  without  fear  to  speak  the  truth.     For  most  men 
write  in  such  a  way,  that,  according  to  the  wishes  of  y 
their  rulers  or  friends,  they  pass  over  the  vices  or  de- 
generacy of  their  times,  or  put  the  best  construction 


l62  LUTHER  ON   EDUCATION. 

upon  them;  on  the  other  hand,  through  partiality 
for  their  fatherland  and  hostility  to  foreigners,  they 
unduly  magnify  insignificant  virtues,  and  eulogize  or 
defame  according  to  their  preferences  or  prejudices. 
In  this  way  histories  become  beyond  measure  un- 
trustworthy, and  God's  work  is  obscured.  Since  his- 
tory describes  nothing  else  than  the  ways  of  God,  that 
is,  grace  and  anger,  which  we  should  believe  as  if  they 
stood  in  Scripture,  it  ought  to  be  written  with  ex- 
treme care,  fidelity,  and  truth."* 

Luther's  attitude  to  the  world  of  nature  is  full  of  in- 
terest, and  exhibits  both  his  independence  of  character 
and  genuineness  of  feeling.  He  was  brought  up  in 
schools  in  which,  according  to  the  methods  of  the 
Middle  Ages,  nature  was  studied,  not  by  observing 
the  earth,  air,  and  skies,  but  by  perusing  the  works  of 
Aristotle  and  Pliny.  It  was  the  reign  of  words,  not 
of  things.  Luther's  great  sympathetic  heart  could 
not  be  satisfied  with  this  narrowness.  His  eyes 
were  open  to  the  beauty  about  him,  and  he  beheld 
with  tenderness  the  chattering  birds,  and  the  grow- 
ing plants.  His  life  was  not  abstraction,  but  observa- 
tion. His  style  is  concrete,  full  of  images  of  things 
about  him,  and  of  words  of  the  common  people.  He 

*Vorrede  D.  M.  L.  auf  die  Historia  Galeatii  Capellae  vom 
Herzog  zu  Mailand.  1538. 


LUTHER    ON   STUDIES   AND    METHODS.  163 

v      Jr 

recognized  the  intrinsic  worth  of  the  natural  sciences, 
and  in  a  passage  exhibiting  a  truly  prophetic  spirit,  he 
ys :  "  We  are  at  the  dawn  of  a  new  era,  for  we  are 
beginning  to  recover  the  knowledge  of  the  external 
world  that  we  had  lost  through  the  fall  of  Adam. 
We  now  observe  creatures  properly,  and  not  as  for- 
merly under  the  Papacy.  Erasmus  is  indifferent,  and 
does  not  care  to  know  how  fruit  is  developed  from 
the  germ.  But  by  the  grace  of  God  we  already 
recognize  in  the  most  delicate  flower  the  wonders  of 
divine  goodness  and  omnipotence.  We  see  in  His 
creatures  the  power  of  His  word.  He  commanded, 
and  the  thing  stood  fast.  See  that  force  display  itself 
in  the  stone  of  a  peach.  It  is  very  hard,  and  the 
germ  it  encloses  is  very  tender;  but,  when  the  mo- 
ment has  come,  the  stone  must  open  to  let  out  the 
young  plant  that  God  calls  into  life.  Erasmus  passes 
by  all  that,  takes  no  account  of  it,  and  looks  upon  ex- 
ternal objects  as  cows  look  upon  a  new  gate."  In 
this  passage  is  foreshadowed  the  wide-reaching  doc- 
trine of  Comenius — a  doctrine  very  potent  in  mould- 
ing modern  education :  "  Why  shall  we  not,  instead 
of  dead  books,  open  the  living  book  of  nature?  Not 
the  shadows  of  things,  but  the  things  themselves, 
which  make  an  impression  on  the  senses  and  imag- 
ination, are  to  be  brought  before  youth.  By  actual 


164  LUTHER    ON    EDUCATION. 

observation,  not  by  a  verbal  description  of  things, 
must  instruction  begin.  From  such  observation  de- 
velops a  certain  knowledge.  Men  must  be  led  as  far 
as  possible  to  draw  their  wisdom  not  from  books,  but 
from  a  consideration  of  heaven  and  earth,  oaks  and 
beeches ;  that  is,  they  must  know  and  examine  things 
themselves,  and  not  simply  be  contented  with  the  ob- 
servation and  testimony  of  others."* 

Luther's  love  for  music  was  remarkable.  He  had 
a  good  voice,  and  played  skillfully  on  the  guitar  and 
flute.  Among  the  loveliest  scenes  in  his  happy  home 
at  Wittenberg  are  those  in  which,  in  company  with 
chosen  friends,  he  sought  recreation  from  his  arduous 
labors  in  the  holy  joys  of  sacred  song.  The  tributes 
he  paid  to  music  are  many  and  beautiful.  He  desired 
the  young  to  be  diligently  exercised  in  vocal  and  in- 
strumental music,  and  insisted  on  musical  attainments 
as  an  indispensable  qualification  in  the  teacher.  His 
influence  on  the  musical  culture  of  Germany  is  im- 
portant. By  means  of  suitable  hymns  and  tunes, 
many  of  which  he  composed  himself,  he  popularized 
Church  music  and  enabled  worshiping  congregations 
to  unite  in  the  singing.  In  the  schools  that  were  es- 
tablished under  the  influence  of  Luther  and  his  co-ad- 
jutors,  music  formed  a  part  of  the  regular  course  of 

*  Painter,  History  of  Education,  p.  209. 


LUTHER   ON   STUDIES   AND    METHODS.  165 

instruction.  It  was  honored  not  only  as  a  useful  ad- 
junct in  public  worship,  but  also  as  a  source  of  benefi- 
cent influence  upon  the  character  and  life.  The  fol- 
lowing passages — a  few  out  of  many — will  serve  to 
show  Luther's  regard  for  music.  "  Satan  is  a  great 
enemy  to  music.  It  is  a  good  antidote  against  temp- 
tation and  evil  thoughts.  The  devil  does  not  stay 
long^where  it  is  practiced."  "Music  is  the  best  cor- ^ 
dial  to  a  person  in  sadness;  it  soothes,  quickens,  and 
refreshes  his  heart."  "Music  is  a  semi-disciplinarian  ^ 
and  school- master;  it  makes  men  more  gentle  and 
tender-hearted,  more  modest  and  discreet."  "  I  have 
always  loved  music.  He  that  is  skilled  in  this  art  is 
possessed  of  good  qualities,  and  can  be  employed  in 
anything.  Music  must  of  necessity  be  retained  in  the 
schools.  A  school-master  must  be  able  to  sing, 
otherwise  I  will  hear  nothing  of  him."  "  Music  is  a 
delightful,  noble  gift  of  God,  and  nearly  related  to 
theology.  I  would  not  give  what  little  skill  I  possess 
in  music  for  something  great.  The  young  are  to  be 
continually  exercised  in  this  art;  it  makes  good  and 

y\ 

skillful  people  of  them."     "With  those  that  despise 

music,   as   all    fanatics   are   wont   to   do,    I    am    not 

t 
pleased;  for  music  is  a  gift  bestowed  by  God  and  not 

by  man.     So  it  also  banishes  Satan,  and  renders  men 
joyful;  it  causes  men  to  forget  all  wra.th,  uncharity, 


1 66  LUTHER   ON    EDUCATION. 

pride,  and  other  vices.  Next  to  theology,  I  esteem 
and  honor  music.  And  we  see  how  David  and  all  the 
saints  clothed  their  pious  thoughts  in  verses,  rhymes, 
and  songs;  because  in  times  of  peace  music  rules." 

Luther  encouraged  gymnastic  exercises,  which  he 
regarded  salutary  both  for  the  body  and  the  soul. 
"It  was  well  considered  and  arranged  by  the  an- 
cients," he  says,  "that  the  people  should  practice 
gymnastics,  in  order  that  they  might  not  fall  into  rev- 
elling, unchastity,  gluttony,  intemperance  and  gaming. 
Therefore  these  two  exercises  and  pastimes  please  me 
best,  namely,  music  and  gymnastics,  of  which  the  first 
drives  away  all  care  and  melancholy  from  the  heart, 
and  the  latter  produces  elasticity  of  the  body  and  pre- 
serves the  health.  But  a  great  reason  for  their  prac- 
tice is  that  people  may  not  fall  into  gluttony,  licen- 
tiousness, and  gambling,  as  is  the  case,  alas !  at  courts 
and  in  cities.  Thus  it  goes  when  such  honorable 
and  manly  bodily  exercises  are  neglected./ 

We  leave  it  to  the  two  treatises  presented  in  the 
following  chapters  to  supply  what  is  lacking  in  this 
survey  of  Luther's  pedagogy.  Looking  back  over  the 

ground  traversed,  we  realize  that  the  great  Reformer 

• 

accomplished  scarcely  less  for  education  than  for  re- 
ligion. Through  his  influence,  which  was  fundamen- 
tal, wide-reaching,  and  beneficent,  there  began  for  the 


LUTHER   ON   STUDIES   AND   METHODS.  167 

one  as  for  the  other  a  new  era  of  advancement.     Let 
us  note  a  few  particulars: 

1.  In  his  writings,  as  in  the  principles  of  Protestant- 
ism, he  laid  the  foundation  of  an  educational  system, 
which  begins  with  the  popular  school  and  ends  with 
the  university. 

2.  He  set  up  as   the  noble   ideal   of  education  a 
Christian  man,  fitted   through  instruction   and  disci- 
pline to  discharge  the  duties  of  every  relation  of  life. 

3.  He  exhibited  the  necessity  of  schools  both  for 
the  Church  and  the  State,  and  emphasized  the  dignity 
and  worth  of  the  teacher's  vocation.  * 

4.  With  resistless  energy  he  impressed  upon  par- 
ents, ministers,  and   civil  officers  their  obligation  to 

*^          - —       -^a>i^ ••* ^ • 

educate  the  young. 

5.  He  brought  about  a  re-organization  of  schools, 
c,    introducing  graded  instruction,  an  improved  course 

of  study,  and  rational  methods. 

6.  In  his  appreciation  of  nature  and  of  child-life,  he 

U:  ~~-^-«T___^— i— • *"* 

laid  the  foundation  for  educational  science. 

7.  He   made   great   improvements  in  method;   he 
sought  to  adapt  instruction  to  the   capacity  of  chil- 
dren,  to   make   learning  pleasant,   to   awaken   mind 
through   skillful  questioning,  to  study  things  as  well 
as  words,  and  to  temper  discipline  with  love. 

8.  With   a  wise  understanding  of  the  relation  of 


1 68  LUTHER   ON   EDUCATION. 

virtue  and  intelligence  to  the  general  good,  he  advo- 
cated compulsory  education  on  the  part  of  the  State. 

In  view  of  these  facts,  Luther  deserves  henceforth  to 
be  recognized  as  the  greatest,  not  only  of  religious, 
but  of  educational  reformers. 


A 


CHAPTER  IX. 

LTJTHEE'S  LETTEE  TO  THE  MAYOES  AND  ALDEEMEN  OF 

ALL  THE  CITIES  OF  GERMANY  IN  BEHALF  OF 

CHRISTIAN  SCHOOLS. 


and  peace  from  God  our  Father  and  the 
^*  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Honored  and  dear  Sirs: 
Having  three  years  ago  been  put  under  the  ban  and 
outlawed,  I  should  have  kept  silent,  had  I  regarded 
the  command  of  men  more  than  that  of  God.  Many 
persons  in  Germany  both  of  high  and  low  estate  as- 
sail my  discourses  and  writings  on  that  account,  and 
shed  much  blood  over  them.  But  God  who  has 
opened  my  mouth  and  bidden  me  speak,  stands  firmly 
by  me,  and  without  any  counsel  or  effort  of  mine 
strengthens  and  extends  my  cause  the  more,  the  more 
they  rage,  and  seems,  as  the  second  Psalm  says,  to 
"  have  them  in  derision."  By  this  alone  any  one  not 
blinded  by  prejudice  may  see  that  the  work  is  of 
God;  for  it  exhibits  the  divine  method,  according  to 
which  God's  cause  spreads  most  rapidly  when  men 
exert  themselves  most  to  oppose  and  suppress  it. 
Therefore,  as  Isaiah  says,  I  will  not  hold  my  peace 
8  (169) 


I/O  LUTHER  ON   EDUCATION. 

until  the  righteousness  of  Christ  go  forth  as  brightness, 
and  his  salvation  as  a  lamp  that  burneth.*  And  I  be- 
seech you  all,  in  the  name  of  God  and  of  our  neglected 
youth,  kindly  to  receive  my  letter  and  admonition,  and 
give  it  thoughtful  consideration.  For  whatever  I  may 
be  in  myself,  I  can  boast  with  a  clear  conscience  before 
God  that  I  am  not  seeking  my  own  interest,  (which 
would  be  best  served  by  silence,)  but  the  interest  of  all 
Germany,  according  to  the  mission,  (doubt  it  who  will,) 
with  which  God  has  honored  me.  And  I  wish  to  de- 
clare to  you  frankly  and  confidently  that  if  you  hear 
me,  you  hear  not  me  but  Christ;  and  whoever  will 
not  hear  me,  despises  not  me  but  Christ.f  For  I 
know  the  truth  of  what  I  declare  and  teach ;  and  every 
one  who  rightly  considers  my  doctrine  will  realize  its 
truth  for  himself. 

First  of  all  we  see  how  the  schools  are  deteriorating 
throughout  Germany.  The  universities  are  becoming 
weak,  the  monasteries  are  declining,  and,  as  Isaiah 
says,  "  The  grass  withereth,  the  flower  fadeth,  because 
the  spirit  of  the  Lord  bloweth  upon  it,"!  through  the 
Gospel.  For  through  the  word  of  God  the  unchris- 
tian and  sensual  character  of  these  institutions  is  be- 

*An  adaptation  of  Isaiah  Ixii.  i. 
f  A  reference  to  Luke  x.  16. 
J  Isaiah  xl.  7. 


IN   BEHALF  OF   CHRISTIAN   SCHOOLS.  I/I 

coming  known.  And  because  selfish  parents  see  that 
they  can  no  longer  place  their  children  upon  the 
bounty  of  monasteries  and  cathedrals,  they  refuse  to 
educate  them.  "Why  should  we  educate  our  chil- 
dren," they  say,  "  if  they  are  not  to  become  priests, 
monks,  and  nuns,  and  thus  earn  a  support?" 

The  hollow  piety  and  selfish  aims  of  such  persons 
are  sufficiently  evident  from  their  own  confession. 
For  if  they  sought  anything  more  than  the  temporal 
welfare  of  their  children  in  monasteries  and  the  priest- 
hood, if  they  were  deeply  in  earnest  to  secure  the  sal- 
vation and  blessedness  of  their  children,  they  would 
not  lose  interest  in  education  and  say,  "  if  the  priestly 
office  is  abolished,  we  will  not  send  our  children  to 
school."  But  they  would  speak  after  this  manner: 
"  if  it  is  true,  as  the  Gospel  teaches,  that  such  a  calling 
is  dangerous  to  our  children,  teach  us  another  way  in 
which  they  may  be  pleasing  to  God  and  become  truly 
blessed;  for  we  wish  to  provide  not  alone  for  the 
bodies  of  our  children,  but  also  for  their  souls." 
Such  would  be  the  language  of  faithful  Christian 
parents. 

It  is  no  wonder  that  the  devil  meddles  in  the  mat- 
ter, and  influences  groveling  hearts  to  neglect  the 
children  and  the  youth  of  the  country.  Who  can 
blame  him  for  it  ?  He  is  the  prince  and  god  of  this 


172  LUTHER   ON    EDUCATION. 

world,*  and  with  extreme  displeasure  sees  the  Gospel 
destroy  his  nurseries  of  vice,  the  monasteries  and 
priesthood,  in  which  he  corrupts  the  young  beyond 
measure,  a  work  upon  which  his  mind  is  especially 
bent.  How  could  he  consent  to  a  proper  training  of 
the  young?  Truly  he  would  be  a  fool  if  he  permitted 
such  a  thing  in  his  kingdom,  and  thus  consented  to 
its  overthrow:  which  indeed  would  happen,  if  the 
young  should  escape  him,  and  be  brought  up  to  the 
service  of  God. 

Hence  he  acted  wisely  at  the  time  when  Christians 
were  educating  and  bringing  up  their  children  in  a 
Christian  way.  Inasmuch  as  the  youth  of  the  land 
would  have  thus  escaped  him,  and  inflicted  an  irrepar- 
able injury  upon  his  kingdom,  he  went  to  work  and 
spread  his  nets,  established  such  monasteries,  schools, 
and  orders,  that  it  was  not  possible  for  a  boy  to  escape 
him  without  the  miraculous  intervention  of  God.  But 
now  that  he  sees  his  snares  exposed  through  the 
Word  of  God,  he  takes  an  opposite  course,  and  dis- 
suades men  from  all  education  whatever.  He  thus 
pursues  a  wise  course  to  maintain  his  kingdom  and 
win  the  youth  of  Germany.  And  if  he  secures  them, 
if  they  grow  up  under  his  influence  and  remain  his  ad- 
herents, who  can  gain  any  advantage  over  him?  He 

*A  reference  to  John  xiv.  30. 


IN    BEHALF   OF    CHRISTIAN    SCHOOLS.  1/3 

retains  an  easy  and  peaceful  mastery  over  the  world. 
For  arty  fatal  wound  to  his  cause  must  come  through 
the  young,  who,  brought  up  in  the  knowledge  of  God, 
spread  abroad  the  truth  and  instruct  others. 

Yet  no  one  thinks  of  this  dreadful  purpose  of  the 
devil,  which  is  being  worked  out  so  quietly  that  it 
escapes  observation;  and  soon  the  evil  will  be  so  far 
advanced  that  we  can  do  nothing  to  prevent  it. 
People  fear  the  Turks,  wars,  and  floods,  for  in  such 
matters  they  can  see  what  is  injurious  or  beneficial; 
but  what  the  devil  has  in  mind  no  one  sees  or  fears. 
Yet  where  we  would  give  a  florin  to  defend  ourselves 
against  the  Turks,  we  should  give  a  hundred  florins  to 
protect  us  against  ignorance,  even  if  only  one  boy 
could  be  taught  to  be  a  truly  Christian  man ;  for  the 
good  such  a  man  can  accomplish  is  beyond  all  compu- 
tation. 

[^Therefore  I  beg  you  all,  in  the  name  of  God  and 
of  our  neglected  youth,  not  to  think  of  this  subject 
lightly,  as  many  do  who  see  not  what  the  prince  of 
this  world  intends.  For  the  right  instruction  of  youth 
is  a  matter  in  which  Christ  and  all  the  world  are  con- 
cerned. Thereby  are  we  a.11  aided.  And  consider  that 
great  Christian  zeal  is  needed  to  overcome  the  silent, 
secret,  and  artful  machinations  of  the  devil.  If  we 
must  annually  expend  large  sums  on  muskets,  roads, 


LUTHER   ON   EDUCATION. 

bridges,  dams,  and  the  like,  in  order  that  the  city  may 
have  temporal  peace  and  comfort,  why  should  we  not 
apply  as  much  to  our  poor,  neglected  youth,  in  o^der 
that  we  may  have  a  skillful  school-master  or  two  ?J 

There  is  one  consideration  that  should  move  every 
citizen,  with  devout  gratitude  to  God,  to  contribute  a 
part  of  his  means  to  the  support  of  schools — the  con- 
sideration that  if  divine  grace  had  not  released  him 
from  exactions  and  robbery,  he  would  still  have  to 
give  large  sums  of  money  for  indulgences,  masses, 
vigils,  endowments,  anniversaries,  mendicant  friars, 
brotherhoods,  and  other  similar  impositions.  And  let 
him  be  sure  that  where  turmoil  and  strife  exist,  there 
the  devil  is  present,  who  did  not  writhe  and  struggle 
so  long  as  men  blindly  contributed  to  convents  and 
masses.  For  Satan  feels  that  his  cause  is  suffering 
injury.  Let  this,  then,  be  the  first  consideration 
to  move  you, — that  in  this  work  we  are  fighting 
against  the  devil,  the  most  artful  and  dangerous 
enemy  of  men. 

Another  consideration  is  found  in  the  fact  that  we 
should  not,  as  St.  Paul  says,  receive  the  grace  of  God 
in  vain,*  and  neglect  the  present  favorable  time.  For 
Almighty  God  has  truly  granted  us  Germans  a  gra- 
cious visitation,  and  favored  us  with  a  golden  oppor- 

\  *  2  Cor.  vi.  i. 


IN   BEHALF   OF   CHRISTIAN   SCHOOLS.  1/5 

tunityA  We  now  have  excellent  and  learned  young 
men,  adorned  with  every  science  and  art,  who,  if  they 
were  employed,  could  be  of  great  service  as  teachers. 
Is  it  not  well  known  that  a  boy  can  now  be  so  instructed 
in  three  years,  that  at  the  age  of  fifteen  or  eighteen  he 

knows  more  than  all  the  universities  and   convents 

'V. 
have  known  heretofore  ?    JVea,  what  have  men  learned 

hitherto  in  the  universities  and  monasteries,  except  to 
be  asses  and  blockheads?  Twenty,  forty  years,  it  has 
been  necessary  to  study,  and  yet  one  has  learned 
neither  Latin  nor  German!  I  say  nothing  of  the 
shameful  and  vicious  life  in  those  institutions,  by 
which  our  worthy  youth  have  been  -so  lamentably 
corrupted. 

I  should  prefer,  it  is  true,  that  our  youth  be  ignorant 
and  dumb  rather  than  that  the  universities  and  con- 
vents should  remain  as  the  only  sources  of  instruction 
open  to  them.  For  it  is  my  earnest  intention,  prayer 
and  desire  that  these  schools  of  Satan  either  be  de- 
stroyed or  changed  into  Christian  schools.  But  since 
God  has  so  richly  favored  us,  and  given  us  a  great 
number  of  persons  who  are  competent  thoroughly  to- 
instruct  and  train  our  young  people,  it  is  truly  needful 
that  we  should  not  disregard  His  grace  and  let  Him 
knock  in  vain.  He  stands  at  the  door;  happy  are  we 
if  we  open  to  Him.  He  calls  us ;  happy  is  the  man  who 


176  LUTHER   ON   EDUCATION. 

answers  Him.  If  we  disregard  His  call,  so  that  He 
passes  by,  who  will  bring  Him  back? 

Let  us  consider  the  wretchedness  of  our  former  con- 
dition and  the  darkness  in  which  we  were  enveloped. 
I  believe  Germany  has  never  heard  so  much  of  the 
Word  of  God  as  at  the  present  time;  history  reveals  no 
similar  period.  If  we  let  the  gracious  season  pass 
without  gratitude  and  improvement,  it  is  to  be  feared 
that  we  shall  suffer  still  more  terrible  darkness  and 
distress.  My  dear  countrymen,  buy  while  the,  market 
is  at  your  door;  gather  the  harvest  while  the  sun 
shines  and  the  weather  is  fair:  use  the  grace  and 
Word  of  God  while  they  are  near.  For  know  this, 
that  the  Word  and  grace  of  God  are  like  a  passing 
shower,  which  does  not  return  where  it  has  once  been. 
The  Divine  favor  once  rested  upon  the  Jews,  but  it  has 
departed.  Paul  brought  the  Gospel  into  Greece;  but 
now  they  have  the  Turks.  Rome  and  Italy  once  en- 
joyed its  blessings ;  but  now  they  have  the  Pope.  And 
the  German  people  should  not  think  that  they  will  al- 
ways have  it;  for  ingratitude  and  neglect  will  banish  it. 
Therefore  seize  it  and  hold  it  fast,  whoever  can ;  idle 
hands  will  have  an  evil  year. 

The  third  consideration  is  the  highest  of  all,  namely, 
God's  command,  which  through  Moses  so  often  urges 
and  enjoins  that  parents  instruct  their  children,  that 


IN    BEHALF    OF   CHRISTIAN   SCHOOLS. 

the  seventy-eighth    Psalm  says :    "  He  established  a 
testimony  in   Jacob  and   appointed  a  law  in  Israel, 
which  he  commanded  our  fathers  that  they  should 
make  them  known  to  their  children."     And  the  fourth, 
commandment    also    shows    this,   where   he   has   so- 
strictly  enjoined  children  to  obey  their  parents,  that: 
disobedient  children  were  to  be  put  to  death.     And! 
why  do  old  people  live,  except  to  care  for,  teach,  andi 
bring  up  the  young?     It  is  not  possible  for  inexper- 
ienced youth  to  instruct  and  care  for  themselves;   and! 
for  that  reason  God  has  commended  them  to  us  who; 
are  older  and  know  what  is  good  for  them,  and  He 
will  require  a  strict  account  at  our  hands.     Therefore 
Moses  gives  this  injunction  :  "Ask  thy  father,  and  he 
will  show  thee;  thy  elders,  and  they  will  tell  thee."  * 

It  is  indeed  a  sin  and  shame  that  we  must  be  aroused 
and  incited  to  the  duty  of  educating  our  children  and 
of  considering  their  highest  interests,  whereas  nature 
itself  should  move  us  thereto,  and  the  example  of  the 
heathen  affords  us  varied  instruction.  There  is  no 
irrational  animal  that  does  not  care  for  and  instruct  its 
young  in  what  they  should  know,  except  the  ostrich, 
of  which  God  says;  "  She  leaveth  her  eggs  in  the  earth, 
and  warmeth  them  in  the  dust;  and  is  hardened 
against  her  young  ones,  as  though  they  were  not 

8*  *Deut.   xxxii.  7. 


1/8  LUTHER    ON    EDUCATION. 

hers."  *  And  what  would  it  avail  if  we  possessed  and 
performed  all  else,  and  became  perfect  saints,  if  we 
neglect  that  for  which  we  chiefly  live,  namely,  to  care 
for  the  young?  In  my  judgment  there  is  no  other 
outward  offense  that  in  the  sight  of  God  so  heavily 
burdens  the  world,  and  deserves  such  heavy  chastise- 
ment, as  the  neglect  to  educate  children. 

In  my  youth  this  proverb  was  current  in  the 
schools:  "It  is  no  less  a  sin  to  neglect  a  pupil  than 
to  do  violence  to  a  woman."  It  was  used  to  frighten 
teachers.  But  how  much  lighter  is  this  wrong 
against  a  woman  (which  as  a  bodily  sin  may  be 
atoned  for),  than  to  neglect  and  dishonor  immortal 
souls,  when  such  a  sin  is  not  recognized  and  can 
never  be  atoned  for?  O  eternal  woe  to  the  world! 
Children  are  daily  born  and  grow  up  among  us,  and 
there  are  none,  alas!  who  feel  an  interest  in  them; 
and  instead  of  being  trained,  they  are  left  to  them- 
selves. The  convents  and  cathedral  schools  are  the 
proper  agencies  to  do  it;  but  to  them  we  may  apply 
the  words  of  Christ:  "Woe  unto  the  world  because 
of  offenses!  Whoso  shall  offend  one  of  these  little 
ones  which  believe  in  me,  it  were  better  for  him  that 
a  mill- stone  were  hanged  about  his  neck,  and  that  he 

*Job  xxxix.  14,  16. 


IN   BEHALF   OF   CHRISTIAN   SCHOOLS.  179 

were  drowned  in  the  depth  of  the  sea."*  They  are 
nothing  but  destroyers  of  children. 

But  all  that,  you  say,  is  addressed  to  parents;  what 
does  it  concern  the  members  of  the  council  and  the 
mayors?  That  is  true;  but  how,  if  parents  neglect 
it?  Who  shall  attend  to  it  then?  Shall  we  therefore 
let  it  alone,  and  suffer  the  children  to  be  neglected  ? 
How  will  the  mayors  and  council  excuse  themselves, 
and  prove  that  such  a  duty  does  not  belong  to  them? 

Parents  neglect  this  duty  from  various  causes. 

In  the  first  place,  there  are  some  who  are  so  lacking 
in  piety  and  uprightness  that  they  would  not  do  it  if 
they  could,  but  like  the  ostrich,  harden  themselves 
against  their  own  offspring,  and  do  nothing  for  them. 
Nevertheless  these  children  must  live  among  us  and 
with  us.  How  then  can  reason  and,  above  all,  Chris- 
tian charity,  surfer  them  to  grow  up  ill-bred,  and  to  in- 
fect other  children,  till  at  last  the  whole  city  be  de- 
stroyed, like  Sodom,  Gomorrah,  and  some  other  cities? 
--HEtt-thc  second  placeAhe  great  majority  of  parents 

in nijjijiinlifird  fnr  ijj  anri  do  not  understand  how 

children  should  be  brought  up  and  taught.  For  they 
have  learned  nothing  but  to  provide  for  their  bodily 
wants;  and  in  order  to  teach  and  train  children 
thoroughly,  a  separate  class  is  needed. 

*  Matt,  xviii.  6,  7. 


i8o 


LUTHER   ON    EDUCATION. 


In  the  third  place,  even  if  parents  were  qualified  and 
willing  to  do  it  themselves,  yet  on  account  of  other 
employments  and  household  duties  they  have  no  time 
for  it,  so  that  necessity  requires  us  to  have  teachers  for 
public  schools,  unless  each  parent  employ  a  private 
instructor.  But  that  would  be  too  expensive  for 
persons  of  ordinary  means,  and  many  a  bright  boy,  on 
account  of  poverty,  would  be  neglected.  Besides, 
many  parents  die  and  leave  orphans;  and  how  they 
are  usually  cared  for  by  guardians,  we  might  learn, 
even  if  observation  were  not  enough,  from  the  sixty- 
eighth  Psalm,  where  God  calls  himself  the  "Father  of 
the  fatherless,"  as  of  those  who  are  neglected  by  all 
others.  Also  theie  are  some  who  have  no  children, 
and  therefore  feel  no  interest  in  them. 

Therefore  it  will  be  the  duty  of  the  mayors  and 
council  to  exercise  the  greatest  care  over  the  young. 
For  since  the  happiness,  honor,  and  life  of  the  city  are 
committed  to  their  hands,  they  would  be  held  recreant 
before  God  and  the  world,  if  they  did  not,  day  and 
night,  with  all  their  power,  seek  its  welfare  and  im- 
provement. ^Now  the  welfare  of  a  city  does  not  con- 
sist alone  in  great  treasures,  firm  walls,  beautiful 
houses,  and  munitions  of  war;  indeed,  where  all  these 
are  found,  and  reckless  fools  come  into  power,  the  city 
sustains  the  greater  injury.  But  the  highest  welfare, 


IN    BEHALF   OF    CHRISTIAN    SCHOOLS.  l8l 

safety,  and  power  of  a  city  consists  in  able,  learned, 

wise,  upright,  cultivated  citizens,  who  can  secure,  pre- 

*^ 
serve,  and  utilize  every  treasure  and  advantage.  \ 

In  ancient  Rome  the  boys  were  so  brought  up  that 
at  the  age  of  fifteen,  eighteen,  twenty,  they  were 
masters  not  only  of  the  choicest  Latin  and  Greek,  but 
also  of  the  liberal  arts,  as  they  are  called ;  and  imme- 
diately after  this  scholastic  training,  they  entered  the 
army  or  held  a  position  under  the  government.  Thus 
they  became  intelligent,  wise,  and  excellent  men, 
skilled  in  every  art  and  rich  in  experience,  so  that  all 
the  bishops,  priests,  and  monks  in  Germany  put 
together  would  not  equal  a  Roman  soldier.  Conse- 
quently their  country  prospered;  persons  were  found 
capable  and  skilled  in  every  pursuit.  Thus,  in  all  the 
world,  even  among  the  heathen,  school-masters  and 
teachers  have  been  found  necessary  where  a  nation  was 
to  be  elevated.  Hence  in  the  Epistle  to  the  Galatians 
Paul  employs  a  word  in  common  use  when"  he  says, 
"The  law  was  our  sc/icol-wiaster"* 

Since,  then,  a  city  must  have  well-trained  people, 
and  since  the  greatest  need,  lack,  and  lament  is  that 
such  are  not  to  be  found,  we  must  not  wait  till  they 
grow  up  of  themselves;  neither  can  they  be  hewed 
out  of  stones  nor  cut  out  of  wood;  nor  will  God  work 

*Gal.  iii.  24. 


1 82  LUTHER   ON   EDUCATION. 

miracles,  so  long  as  men  can  attain  their  object 
through  means  within  their  reach.  Therefore  we 
must  see  to  it,  and  spare  no  trouble  or  expense  to 
educate  and  form  them  ourselves.  For  whose  fault  is 
it  that  in  all  the  cities  there  are  at  present  so  few 
skillful  people  except  the  rulers,  who  have  allowed 
the  young  to  grow  up  like  trees  in  the  forest,  and 
have  not  cared  how  they  were  reared  and  taught? 
The  growth,  consequently,  has  been  so  irregular  that 
the  forest  furnishes  no  timber  for  building  purposes, 
but  like  a  useless  hedge,  is  good  only  for  fuel. 

Yet  there  must  be  civil  government.  For  us,  then, 
to  permit  ignoramuses  and  blockheads  to  rule  when 
we  can  prevent  it,  is  irrational  and  barbarous.  Let  us 
rather  make  rulers  out  of  swine  and  wolves,  and  set 
them  over  people  who  are  indifferent  to  the  manner  in 
which  they  are  governed.  It  is  barbarous  for  men  to 
think  thus :  "  We  will  now  rule ;  and  what  does  it  con- 
cern us  how  those  fare  who  shall  come  after  us?" 
Not  over  human  beings,  but  over  swine  and  dogs 
should  such  people  rule,  who  think  only  of  their  own 
interests  and  honor  in  governing.  Even  if  we  exer- 
cise the  greatest  care  to  educate  able,  learned  and 
skilled  rulers,  yet  much  care  and  effort  are  necessary 
in  order  to  secure  prosperity.  How  can  a  city  pros- 
per, when  no  effort  is  made? 


IN    BEHALF   OF   CHRISTIAN   SCHOOLS.  183 

But,  you  say  again,  if  we  shall  and  must  have 
schools,  what  is  the  use  to  teach  Latin,  Greek, 
Hebrew,  and  the  other  liberal  arts?  Is  it  not  enough 
to  teach  the  Scriptures,  which  are  necessary  to  salva- 
tion, in  the  mother  tongue?  To  which  I  answer:  I 
know,  alas!  that  we  Germans  must  always  remain 
irrational  brutes,  as  we  are  deservedly  called  by 
surrounding  nations.  But  I  wonder  why  we  do  not 
also  say :  of  what  use  to  us  are  silk,  wine,  spices,  and 
other  foreign  articles,  since  we  ourselves  have  an 
abundance  of  wine,  corn,  wool,  flax,  wood,  and  stone 
in  the  German  states,  not  only  for  our  necessities,  but 
also  for  embellishment  and  ornament?  (The  languages 
and  other  liberal  arts,  which  are  not  only  harmless, 
but  even  a  greater  ornament,  benefit,  and  honor  than 
these  things,  both  for  understanding  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures and  carrying  on  the  civil  government,  we  are 
disposed  to  despise;  and  the  foreign  articles  which  / 
are  neithdr  necessary  nor  useful,  and  which  besides" 
greatly  impoverish  us,  we  are  unwilling  to  dispense 
with.  Are  we  not  rightly  called  German  dunces  and 
brutes?  )! 

Indeed,  if  the  languages  were  of  no  practical  benefit, 
we  ought  still  to  feel  an  interest  in  them  as  a  wonder-  \/ 
ful  gift  of  God,  with  which  he  has  now  blessed  Ger- 
many almost  beyond  all  other  lands.     We  do  not  find 


184  LUTHER  ON   EDUCATION. 

many  instances  in  which  Satan  has  fostered  them 
through  the  universities  and  cloisters;  on  the  con- 
trary, these  institutions  have  fiercly  inveighed  and 
continue  to  inveigh  against  them.  For  the  devil 
scented  the  danger  that  would  threaten  his  kingdom, 
if  the  languages  should  be  generally  studied.  But 
since  he  could  not  wholly  prevent  their  cultiva- 
tion, he  aims  at  least  to  confine  them  within  such 
narrow  limits,  that  they  will  of  themselves  decline  and 
fall  into  disuse.  They  are  to  him  no  welcome  guest, 
and  consequently  he  shows  them  scant  courtesy  in 
order  that  they  may  not  remain  long.  This  malicious 
trick  of  Satan  is  perceived  by  very  few. 

Therefore,  my  beloved  countrymen,  let  us  open  our 
eyes,  thank  God  for  this  precious  treasure,  and  take 
pains  to  preserve  it,  and  to  frustrate  the  design  of 
Satan.  For  we  cannot  deny  that,  although  the  Gospel 
has  come  and  daily  comes  through  the  Holy  Spirit,  it 
has  come  by  means  of  the  languages,  and  through 
them  must  increase  and  be  preserved.  For  when  God 
wished  through  the  apostles  to  spread  the  Gospel 
abroad  in  all  the  world,  he  gave  the  languages  for  that 
purpose ;  and  by  means  of  the  Roman  empire  he 
made  Latin  and  Greek  the  language  of  many  lands, 
that  his  Gospel  might  speedily  bear  fruit  far  and  wide. 
He  has  done  the  same  now.  For  a  time  no  one  under- 


IN   BEHALF  OF   CHRISTIAN   SCHOOLS.  1 85 

stood  why  God  had  revived  the  study  of  the  languages; 
but  now  we  see  that  it  was  for  the  sake  of  the  Gospel, 
which  he  wished  to  bring  to  light  and  thereby  expose 
and  destroy  the  reign  of  Antichrist.  For  the  same 
reason  he  gave  Greece  a  prey  to  the  Turks,  in  order 
that  Greek  scholars,  driven  from  home  and  scattered 
abroad,  might  bear  the  Greek  tongue  to  other 
countries,  and  thereby  excite  an  interest  in  the  study 
of  languages. 

In  the  same  measure  that  the  Gospel  is  dear  to  us, 
should  we  zealously  cherish  the  languages.  For  God 
had  a  purpose  in  giving  the  Scriptures  only  in  two 
languages,  the  Old  Testament  in  the  Hebrew,  and  the 
New  Testament  in  the  Greek.  What  God  did  not 
despise,  but  chose  before  all  others  for  His  Word,  we 
should  likewise  esteem  above  all  others.  St.  Paul,  in 
the  third  chapter  of  Romans,  points  out,  as  a  special 
honor  and  advantage  of  the  Hebrew  language,  that 
God's  Word  was  given  in  it:  "What  profit  is  there  of 
circumcision?  Much  every  way;  chiefly  because  that 
unto  them  were  committed  the  oracles  of  God."  * 
Likewise  King  David  boasts  in  the  one  hundred  and 
forty-seventh  Psalm:  "He  showeth  his  word  unto 
Jacob,  his  statutes  and  his  judgments  unto  Israel.  He 
hath  not  dealt  so  with  any  nation:  and  as  for  his 

*  Rom.  iii.  I,  2. 


1 86  LUTHER   ON   EDUCATION. 

judgments,  they  have  not  known  them."  *  Hence  the 
Hebrew  language  is  called  sacred.  And  St.  Paul,  in 
Romans  i.  2,  speaks  of  the  Hebrew  Scriptures  as  holy, 
no  doubt  because  of  the  Word  of  God  which  they  con- 
tain. In  like  manner  the  Greek  language  might  well 
be  called  holy,  because  it  was  chosen,  in  preference  to 
others,  as  the  language  of  the  New  Testament.  And 
from  this  language,  as  from  a  fountain,  the  New  Testa- 
ment has  flowed  through  translations  into  other  lan- 
rages,  and  sanctified  them  also. 
And  let  this  be  kept  in  mind,  that  we  will  not  pre- 
serve the  Gospel  without  the  languages"!^  The  langua- 
ges are  the  scabbard  in  which  the  Word  of  God  is 
sheathed.  They  are  the  casket  in  which  this  jewel  is 
enshrined ;  the  cask  in  which  this  wine  is  kept ;  the 
chamber  in  which  this  food  is  stored.  And,  to  borrow 
a  figure  from  the  Gospel  itself,  they  are  the  baskets  in 
which  this  bread,  and  fish,  and  fragments  are  preserved. 
If  through  neglect  we  lose  the  languages  (which  may 
God  forbid),  we  will  not  only  lose  the  Gospel,  but  it 
will  finally  come  to  pass  that  we  will  lose  also  the 
ability  to  speak  and  write  either  Latin  or  German.  Of 
this  let  us  take  as  proof  and  warning  the  miserable  and 
shocking  example  presented  in  the  universities  and 
cloisters,  in  which  not  only  the  Gospel  has  been  per- 

*Psalm  cxlvii.  19,  20. 


IN   BEHALF  OF  CHRISTIAN   SCHOOLS.  187 

verted,  but  also  the  Latin  and  German  languages  have 
been  corrupted,  so  that  the  wretched  inmates  have  be- 
come like  brutes,  unable  to  speak  and  write  German 
or  Latin,  and  have  almost  lost  their  natural  reason. 
/  The  apostles  considered  it  necessary  to  embody  the 
New  Testament  in  the  Greek  language,  in  order,  no 
doubt,  that  it  might  be  securely  preserved  unto  us  as 
in  a  sacred  shrine.  )For  they  foresaw  what  has  since 
taken  place,  namely,  that  when  the  divine  revelation  is 
left  to  oral  tradition,  much  disorder  and  confusion  arise 
from  conflicting  opinions  and  doctrines.  And  there 
would  be  no  way  to  prevent  this  evil  and  to  protect 
the  simple-minded,  if  the  New  Testament  was  not  defi- 
nitely recorded  in  writing.  (  Therefore  it  is  evident 
that  where  the  languages  are  not  preserved,  there  the 
Gospel  will  become  corrupted.) 

Experience  shows  this  to  be  true.  For  immediately 
after  the  age  of  the  apostles,  when  the  languages 
ceased  to  be  cultivated,  the  Gospel,  and  the  true  faith, 
and  Christianity  itself,  declined  more  and  more,  until 
they  were  entirely  lost  under  the  Pope.  And  since 
the  time  that  the  languages  disappeared,  not  much 
that  is  noteworthy  and  excellent  has  been  seen  in  the 
Church;  but  through  ignorance  of  the  languages  very 
many  shocking  abominations  have  arisen.  On  the 
other  hand,  since  the  revival  of  learning,  such  a  light 


1 88  LUTHER   ON    EDUCATION. 

has  been  shed  abroad,  and  such  important  changes 
have  taken  place,  that  the  world  is  astonished,  and 
must  acknowledge  that  we  have  the  Gospel  almost  as 
pure  and  unadulterated  as  it  was  in  the  times  of  the 
apostles,  and  much  purer  than  it  was  in  the  days  of 
St.  Jerome  and  St.  Augustine.  In  a  word,  since  the 
Holy  Ghost,  who  does  nothing  foolish  or  useless,  has 
often  bestowed  the  gift  of  tongues,  it  is  our  evident 
duty  earnestly  to  cultivate  the  languages,  now  that 
God  has  restored  them  to  the  world  through  the 
revival  of  learning. 

But  many  of  the  church  fathers,  you  say,  have  be- 
come saints  and  have  taught  without  a  knowledge  of 
the  languages.  That  is  true.  But  to  what  do  you 
attribute  their  frequent  misunderstanding  of  the  Scrip- 
tures? How  often  is  St.  Augustine  in  error  in  the 
Psalms  and  in  other  expositions,  as  well  as  Hilary, 
and  indeed  all  those  who  have  undertaken  to  explain 
the  Scriptures  without  an  acquaintance  with  the 
original  tongues?  And  if  perchance  they  have  taught 
correct  doctrine,  they  have  not  been  sure  of  the 
application  to  be  made  of  particular  passages.  For 
example,  it  is  truly  said  that  Christ  is  the  Son  of  God. 
But  what  mockery  does  it  seem  to  adversaries  when 
as  proof  «f  that  doctrine  Psalm  ex.  3  is  adduced: 
"  Tecum  principium  in  die  virtutis"  since  in  the 


IN    BEHALF    OF    CHRISTIAN    SCHOOLS.  189 

Hebrew  no  reference  is  made  in  that  verse  to  the 
Deity.  When  the  faith  is  thus  defended  with  un- 
certain reasons  and  proof-texts,  does  it  not  seem  a 
disgrace  and  mockery  in  the  eyes  of  such  adversaries 
as  are  acquainted  with  the  Greek  and  the  Hebrew? 
And  they  are  only  rendered  the  more  obstinate  in 
their  error,  and  with  good  ground  hold  our  faith  as  a 
human  delusion. 

I  What  is  the  reason  that  our  faith  is  thus  brought 
into  disgrace?  It  is  our  ignorance  of  the  languages; 
and  the  only  remedy  is  a  knowledge  of  them.  jWas 
not  St.  Jerome  forced  to  make  a  new  translation  of 
the  Psalms  from  the  Hebrew,  because  the  Jews,  when 
quotations  were  made  from  the  Latin  version,  derided 
the  Christians,  affirming  that  the  passages  adduced 
were  not  found  in  the  original?  The  comments  of  all 
the  ancient  fathers  who,  without  a  knowledge  of  the 
languages,  have  treated  of  the  Scriptures  (although 

they  may  teach  nothing  heretical),  are  still  of  such  a 

i 
character    that   the   writers   often  employ   uncertain, 

doubtful,  and  inappropriate  expressions,  and  grope 
like  a  blind  man  along  a  wall,  so  that  they  often  miss 
the  sense  of  the  text  and  mould  it  according  to  their 
pious  fancy,  as  in  the  example  mentioned  in  the  last 
paragraph.  St.  Augustine  himself  was  obliged  to 
confess  that  the  Christian  teacher,  in  addition  to  Latin, 


LUTHER   ON    EDUCATION. 

should  be  acquainted  with  Hebrew  and  Greek. 
Without  this  knowledge,  the  expositor  will  inevitably 
fall  into  mistakes;  and  even  when  the  languages  are 
understood,  he  will  meet  with  difficulties. 

With  a  simple  preacher  of  the  faith  it  is  different 
from  what  it  is  with  the  expositor  of  the  Scriptures, 
or  prophet,  as  St.  Paul  calls  him.  The  former  has  so 
many  clear  passages  and  texts  in  translations,  that  he 
is  able  to  understand  and  preach  Christ,  and  lead  a 
holy  life.  But  to  explain  the  Scriptures,  to  deal  with 
them  independently,  and  oppose  heretical  interpreters, 
such  a  one  is  too  weak  without  a  knowledge  of  the 
languages.  But  we  need  just  such  expositors,  who 
will  give  themselves  to  the  study  and  interpretation 
of  the  Scriptures,  and  who  are  able  to  controvert 
erroneous  doctrines;  for  a  pious  life  and  orthodox 
teaching  are  not  alone  sufficient.  Therefore  the  lan- 
guages are  absolutely  necessary,  as  well  as  prophets 
or  expositors;  but  it  is  not  necessary  that  every  Chris- 
tian or  preacher  be  such  a  prophet,  according  to  the 
diversity  of  gifts  of  which  St.  Paul  speaks  in  I  Corin- 
thians xii.  8,  9,  and  in  Ephesians  iv.  n. 

This  explains  why,  since  the  days  of  the  apostles, 
the  Scriptures  have  remained  in  obscurity,  and  no 
reliable  and  enduring  expositions  have  anywhere  been 
written.  For  even  the  holy  fathers,  as  we  have  said, 


IN    BEHALF   OF   CHRISTIAN   SCHOOLS.  19! 

are  often  in  error,  and  because  they  were  not  versed 
in  the  languages,  they  seldom  agree.  St.  Bernard 
was  a  man  of  great  ability,  so  that  I  am  inclined  to 
place  him  above  all  other  distinguished  teachers, 
whether  ancient  or  modern ;  but  how  often  he  trifles 
with  the  Scriptures,  in  a  spiritual  manner  to  be  sure, 
and  wrests  them  from  their  true  meaning!  For  the 
same  reason  the  Papists  have  said  that  the  Scriptures 
are  of  obscure  and  peculiar  import.  But  they  do  not 
perceive  that  the  trouble  lies  in  ignorance  of  the 
languages;  but  for  this,  nothing  simpler  has  ever  been 
spoken  than  the  Word  of  God.  A  Turk  must  indeed 
speak  unintelligibly  to  me,  although  a  Turkish  child 
of  seven  years  understands  him,  because  I  am  un- 
acquainted with  the  language. 

Hence  it  is  foolish  to  attempt  to  learn  the  Scrip- 
tures through  the  comments  of  the  fathers  and  the 
study  of  many  books  and  glosses.  For  that  purpose 
we  ought  to  give  ourselves  to  the  languages.  For  the 
beloved  fathers,  because  they  were  not  versed  in  the 
languages,  have  often  failed,  in  spite  of  their  verbose 
expositions,  to  give  the  meaning  of  the  text.  You 
peruse  their  writings  with  great  toil ;  and  yet  with  a 
knowledge  of  the  languages  you  can  get  the  meaning 
of  Scripture  better  than  they  do.  For  in  comparison 
with  the  glosses  of  the  fathers,  the  languages  are  as 
sunlight  to  darkness. 


192  LUTHER    ON    EDUCATION. 

Since,  then,  it  behooves  Christians  at  all  times  to 
use  the  Bible  as  their  only  book  and  to  be  thoroughly 
acquainted  with  it,  especially  is  it  a  disgrace  and  sin 
at  the  present  day  not  to  learn  the  languages,  when 
God  provides  every  facility,  incites  us  -to  study,  and 
wishes  to  have  His  word  known.  O  how  glad  the 
honored  fathers  would  have  been,  if  they  could  have 
learned  the  languages,  and  had  such  access  to  the 
Holy  Scriptures!  With  what  pain  and  toil  they 
scarcely  obtained  crumbs,  while  almost  without  effort 
we  are  able  to  secure  the  whole  loaf!  O  how  their 
industry  shames  our  idleness,  yea,  how  severely  will 
God  punish  our  neglect  and  ingratitude ! 

St.  Paul,  in  I.  Corinthians  xiv.  29,*  enjoins  that 
there  be  judgment  upon  doctrine — a  duty  that  re- 
quires a  knowledge  of  the  languages.  For  the 
preacher  or  teacher  may  publicly  read  the  whole 
Bible  as  he  chooses,  right  or  wrong,  if  there  be  no 
one  present  to  judge  whether  he  does  it  correctly  or 
not.  But  if  one  is  to  judge,  there  must  be  an  ac- 
quaintance with  the  languages;  otherwise,  the  judging 
will  be  in  vain.  Hence,  although  faith  and  the  Gos- 
pel may  be  preached  by  ordinary  ministers  without 
the  languages,  still  such  preaching  is  sluggish  and 

*Let  the  prophets  speak  two  or  three,  and  let  the  other 
judge. 


IN    BEHALF    OF    CHRISTIAN    SCHOOLS.  193 

weak,  and  the  people  finally  become  weary,  and  fall 
away.  But  a  knowledge  of  the  languages  renders  it 
lively  and  strong,  and  faith  finds  itself  constantly  re- 
newed through  rich  and  varied  instruction.  In  the 
first  Psalm  the  Scriptures  liken  such  study  to  "  a  tree- 
planted  by  the  rivers  of  water,  that  bringeth  forth  its, 
fruit  in  its  season;  its  leaf  also  shall  not  wither." 

We  should  not  allow  ourselves  to  be  deceived  be-- 
cause  there  are  some  who,  while  setting  little  store  by 
the  Scriptures,  boast  of  the  Spirit.  Some  also,  like 
the  Waldenses,  do  not  regard  the  languages  useful:. 
But,  dear  friend,  whatever  such  persons  may  say,  I 
have  also  been  in  the  Spirit,  and  have  seen  more  of 
His  power  (if  it  is  allowable  to  boast  of  one's  self), 
than  they  will  see  in  a  year,  however  much  they  may 
vaunt  themselves.  I  have  also  been  able  to  accom- 
plish somewhat,  while  they  have  remained  without  in- 
fluence, and  done  little  more  than  boast.  I  know 
full  well  that  the  Spirit  does  almost  everything.  Still 
I  should  have  failed  in  my  work,  if  the  languages  had 
not  come  to  my  aid,  and  made  me  strong  and  immov- 
able in  the  Scriptures.  I  might  without  them  have 
been  pious,  and  preached  the  Gospel  in  obscurity; 
but  I  could  not  have  disturbed  the  Pope,  his  adher- 
ents, and  all  the  reign  of  Antichrist.  The  devil 
cares  less  for  the  Spirit  within  me  than  for  my  pen 


194  LUTHER   ON    EDUCATION. 

and  linguistic  knowledge.  For  while  the  Spirit  takes 
nothing  but  myself  away  from  him,  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures and  the  languages  drive  him  from  the  world  and 
break  up  his  kingdom. 

I  can  not  praise  the  Waldenses  for  depreciating  the 
languages.  For  although  they  taught  no  heresies,  yet 
they  often  necessarily  failed  in  their  proof-texts,  and 
remained  unqualified  and  unskilled  to  contend  against 
error  for  the  true  faith.  Besides,  their  teaching  is  so 
unenlightened,  and  presented  in  such  peculiar  forms, 
not  following  the  language  of  Scripture,  that  I  fear  it 
Will  not  continue  pure.  For  it  is  dangerous  to  speak 
of  divine  things  in  a  manner  or  in  words  different  from 
those  employed  in  the  Scriptures.  In  brief,  they  may 
lead  holy  lives  and  teach  among  themselves ;  but  be- 
cause they  are  without  the  languages,  they  will  lack 
what  others  have  lacked,  namely,  an  assured  and 
thorough  handling  of  the  Scriptures,  and  the  ability  to 
be  useful  to  other  nations.  And  because  they  could 
have  done  this,  and  would  not,  they  will  have  an  ac- 
count to  render  before  God  for  their  neglect. 

So  much  for  the  utility  and  necessity  of  the  lan- 
guages, and  of  Christian  schools  for  our  spiritual  inter- 
ests and  the  salvation  of  the  soul.  Let  us  now  con- 
sider the  body  and  inquire :  though  there  w.ere  no 
soul,  nor  heaven,  nor  hell,  but  only  the  civil  govern- 


IN    BEHALF   OF    CHRISTIAN    SCHOOLS.  1$$ 

ment,  would  not  this  require  good  schools  and  learned 
men  more  than  do  our  spiritual  interests?  Hitherto 
the  Papists  have  taken  no  interest  in  civil  government, 
and  have  conducted  the  schools  so  entirely  in  the 
interests  of  the  priesthood,  that  it  has  become  a  matter 
of  reproach  for  a  learned  man  to  marry,  and  he  has 
been  forced  to  hear  remarks  like  this :  "  Behold,  he 
has  become  a  man  of  the  world,  and  cares  nothing  for 
the  clerical  state,"  just  as  if  the  priestly  order  were 
alone  acceptable  to  God,  and  the  secular  classes,  as 
they  are  called,  belonged  to  Satan,  and  were  unchris- 
tian. But  in  the  sight  of  God,  the  former  rather 
belong  to  Satan,  while  the  despised  masses  (as  hap- 
pened to  the  people  of  Israel  in  the  Babylonian 
captivity)  remain  in  the  land  and  in  right  relations 
with  God. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  say  here  that  civil  government    K^ 
is  a  divine  institution ;  of  that  I  have  elsewhere  said  so 
much,  that  I  hope  no  one  has  any  doubts  on  the  sub- 
ject.    The  question  is,  how  are  we  to  get  able  and   / 
.skillful  rulers?     And  here  we  are  put  to  shame  by  the 
heathen,  who  in  ancient  times,  especially  the  Greeks 
and  Romans,  without  knowing  that  civil  government 
is  a  divine  ordinance,  yet  instructed  the  boys  and  girls 
with  such  earnestness  and  industry  that,  when  I  think 
of  it,  I  am  ashamed  of  Christians,  and  especially  of  our 


196  LUTHER   ON    EDUCATION. 

i 

Germans,  who  are  such  blockheads  and  brutes  that 
they  can  say :  "  Pray,  what  is  the  use  of  schools,  if  one 
is  not  to  become  a  priest?"  Yet  we  know,  or  ought 
to  know,  how  necessary  and  useful  a  thing  it  is,  and 
how  acceptable  to  God,  when  a  prince,  lord,  counsel- 
lor, or  other  ruler,  is  well-trained  and  skillful  in  dis- 
charging, in  a  Christian  way,  the  functions  of  his 
office. 

LEven  if  there  were  no  soul,  (as  I  have  already 
id,)  and  men  did  not  need  schools  and  the  languages 
for  the  sake  of  Christianity  and  the  Scriptures,  still, 
for  the  establishment  of  the  best  schools  everywhere, 
both  for  boys  and  girls,  this  consideration  is  of  itself 
sufficient,  namely,  that  society,  for  the  maintenance  of 
civil  order  and^he  proper  regulation  of  the  household, 
needs  accomplished  and  well-trained  men  and  women. 
Now  such  men  are  to  come  from  boys,  and  such 
women  from  girls ;  hence  it  is  necessary  that  boys  and 
girls  be  properly  taught  and  brought  up?}  As  I  have 
before  said,  the  ordinary  man  is  not  qualified  for  this 
task,  and  can  not,  and  will  not  do  it.  Princes  and 
lords  ought  to  do  it ;  but  they  spend  their  time  in 
pleasure-driving,  drinking,  and  folly,  and  are  burdened 
with  the  weighty  duties  of  the  cellar,  kitchen  and  bed- 
chamber. And  though  some  would  be  glad  to  do  it, 
they  must  stand  in  fear  of  the  rest,  lest  they  be  taken 


IN   BEHALF   OF   CHRISTIAN   SCHOOLS.  197 

for  fools  or  heretics.  Therefore,  honored  members  of 
the  city  councils,  this  work  must  remain  in  your 
hands;  you  have  more  time  and  better  opportunity  for 

C't  than  princes  and  lords. 
But  each  one,  you  say,  may  educate  and  discipline 
his  own  sons  and  daughters.  To  which  I  reply :  We 
see  indeed  how  it  goes  with  this  teaching  and  training. 
And  where  it  is  carried  to  the  highest  point,  and  is 
attended  with  success,  it  results  in  nothing  more  than 
that  the  learners,  in  some  measure,  acquire  a  forced 
external  propriety  of  manner ;  in  other  respects  they 
remain  dunces,  knowing  nothing,  and  incapable  of 
giving  aid  or  advice.  But  were  they  instructed  in 
schools  or  elsewhere  by  thoroughly  qualified  male  or 
female  teachers,  who  taught  the  languages,  other  arts, 
and  history,  then  the  pupils  would  hear  the  history 
and  maxims  of  the  world,  and  see  how  things  went 
with  each  city,  kingdom,  prince,  man,  and  woman; 
and  thus,  in  a  short  time,  they  would  be  able  to  com- 
prehend, as  in  a  mirror,  the  character,  life,  counsels, 
undertakings,  successes,  and  failures,  of  the  whole 
world  from  the  beginning.  From  this  knowledge 
they  could  regulate  their  views,  and  order  their  course 
of  life  in  the  fear  of  God,  having  become  wise  in  judg- 
ing what  is  to  be  sought  and  what  avoided  in  this  out- 
ward life,  and  capable  of  advising  and  directing  othersy 


198  LUTHER   ON    EDUCATION. 

But  the  training  which  is  given  at  home  is  expected  to 
.1  make  us  wise  through  our  own  experience.  Before 
that  can  take  place,  we  shall  die  a  hundred  times,  and 
all  through  life  act  injudiciously;  for  much  time  is 
needed  to  give  experience. 

Now  since  the  young  must  leap  and  jump,  or  have 
something  to  do,  because  they  have  a  natural  desire 
for  it  which  should  not  be  restrained,  (for  it  is  not  well 

To"  check  them  in  everything,)  why  should  we  not  pro- 
vide for  them  such  schools,  and  lay  before  them  such 
studies  ?  By  the  gracious  arrangement  of  God,  chil- 
dren take  delight  in  acquiring  knowledge,  whether 
languages,  mathematics,  or  history.  And  our  schools 
are  no  longer  a  hell  or  purgatory,  in  which  children 
are  tortured  over  cases  and  tenses,  and  in  which  with 
much  flogging,  trembling,  anguish  and  wretchedness 
they  learn  nothing.  If  we  take  so  much  time  and 

"pains  to  teach  our  children  to  play  cards,  sing,  and 
dance,  why  should  we  not  take  as  much  time  to  teach 
them  reading  and  other  branches  of  knowledge,  while 
they  are  young  and  at  leisure,  are  quick  at  learning, 
and  take  delight  in  it?  As  for  myself,*  if  I  had  chil- 
dren and  were  ablel  I  would  have  them  learn  not  only 


"V 

4- r\  *a     1  »i  r»  /T  1 1  *•»  *nr*io    *\  v\  /-I     V\  1  e*4 


the  languages  and  history,  but  also  singing,  instrumen- 
tal music,  and  the  whole  course  of  mathematicsTj  For 


*  Luther  was  not  yet  married. 


IN    BEHALF    OF    CHRISTIAN    SCHOOLS.  199 

what  is  all  this  but  mere  child's  play,  in  which  the 
Greeks  in  former  ages  trained  their  children,  and  by 
this  means  became  wonderfully  skillful  people,  capable 
for  every  undertaking?  How  I  regret  that  I  did  not 
read  more  poetry  and  history,  and  that  no  one  taught 
me  in  these  branches.  Instead  of  these  I  was  obliged 
with  great  cost,  labor,  and  injury,  to  read  Satanic  filth, 
the  Aristotelian  and  Scholastic  philosophy,  so  that  I 
have  enough  to  do  to  get  rid  of  it. 

But  you  say,  who  can  do  without  his  children  and 
bring  them  up,  in  this  manner,  to  be  young  gentle- 
men? I  reply:  it  is  not  my  idea  that  we  should 
establish  schools  as  they  have  been  heretofore,  where 
a  boy  has  studied  Donatus  and  Alexander*  twenty 
or  thirty  years,  and  yet  has  learned  nothing.  The 
world  has  changed,  and  things  go  differently.  (  My 
•"'idea  is  that  boys  should  spend  an  hour  or  two  a  day 
in  school,  and  the  rest  of  the  time  work  at  home, 
learn  some  trade  and  do  whatever  is  desired,  so  that 
study  and  work  may  go  on  together,  while  the  chil- 
dren are  young  and  can  attend  to  both.  ^They  now 
spend  tenfold  as  much  time  in  shooting  with  cross- 
bows, playing  ball,  running,  and  tumbling  about. 

*  Donatus  wrote  a  Latin  grammar  used  as  a  text-book  dur- 
ing the  Middle  Ages.  Alexander  was  the  author  of  a  com- 
mentary on  Aristotle. 


2OO  LUTHER   ON    EDUCATION. 

(^  In  like  manner,  a  girl  has  time  to  go  to  school  an 
hour  a  day,  and  yet  attend  to  her  work  at  home;  for 
she  sleeps,  dances,  and  plays  away  more  than  thatj 
The  real  difficulty  is  found  alone  in  the  absence  of  an 
earnest  desire  to  educate  the  young,  and  to  aid  and 
benefit  mankind  with  accomplished  citizens.  The 
devil  much  prefers  blockheads  and  drones,  that  men 
may  have  more  abundant  trials  and  sorrows  in  the 
world. 

But  the  brightest  pupils,  who  give  promise  of  be- 
coming accomplished  teachers,  preachers,  and  work- 
ers, should  be  kept  longer  at  school,  or  set  apart 
wholly  for  study,  as  we  read  of  the  holy  martyrs,  who 
brought  up  St.  Agnes,  St.  Agatha,  St.  Lucian,  and 
others.  For  this  purpose  also  the  cloisters  and 
cathedral  schools  were  founded,  but  they  have  been 
perverted  into  another  and  accursed  use.  There  is 
great  need  for  such  instruction;  for  the  tonsured 
crowd  is  rapidly  decreasing,  and  besides,  for  the  most 
part,  the  monks  are  unskilled  to  teach  and  rule,  since 
they  know  nothing  but  to  care  for  their  stomachs,  the 
only  thing  they  have  been  taught.  Hence  we  must 
have  persons  qualified  to  dispense  the  Word  of  God 
and  the  Sacraments,  and  to  be  pastors  of  the  people. 
But  where  will  we  obtain  them,  if  schools  are  not 
established  on  a  more  Christian  basis,  since  those 


IN   BEHALF   OF   CHRISTIAN   SCHOOLS.  2OI 

hitherto  maintained,  even  if  they  do  not  go  down,  can 
produce  nothing  but  depraved  and  dangerous  corrup- 
ters  of  youth? 

There  is  consequently  an  urgent  necessity,  not  only 
for  the  sake  of  the  young,  but  also  for  the  mainte- 
nance of  Christianity  and  of  civil  government,  that 
this  matter  be  immediately  and  earnestly  taken  hold 
of,  lest  afterwards,  although  we  would  gladly  attend 
to  it,  we  shall  find  it  impossible  to  do  so,  and  be 
obliged  to  feel  in  vain  the  pangs  of  remorse  forever. 


For  God  is^now  graciously  present,  and  offers  his  aid. 
If  we  jiespise  it,  we  already  have  our  condemnation 
with  the  people  of  Israel,  of  whom  Isaiah  says  :  "  I 
have  spread  out  my  hands  all  the  day  unto  a  rebel- 
lious people."*  And  Proverbs  i.  24—26:  "I  have 
stretched  out  my  hand,  and  no  man  regarded:  but 
ye  have  set  at  naught  all  my  counsel,  and  would  none 
of  my  reproof:  I  also  will  laugh  at  your  calamity  ;  I 
will  mock  when  your  fear  cometh."  Let  us  then  take 
heed.  Consider  for  example  what  great  zeal  Solomon 
manifested;  for  he  was  so  much  interested  in  the 
young  that  he  took  time,  in  the  midst  of  his  imperial 
duties,  to  write  a  book  for  them  called  Proverbs. 
And  think  how  Christ  himself  took  the  little  children 
in  His  arms!  How  earnestly  He  commends  them  to 

*  Isaiah  Ixv.  2. 
9* 


2O2  LUTHER   ON    EDUCATION. 

us,  and  speaks  of  their  guardian  angels,*  in  order  that 
He  may  show  us  how  great  a  service  it  is,  when  we 
rightly  bring  them  up:  on  the  other  hand,  how  His 
anger  kindles,  if  we  offend  the  little  ones,  and  let  them 
perish. 

^  Therefore,  dear  Sirs,  take  to  heart  this  work,  which 
God  so  urgently  requires  at  your  hands,  which  per- 
tains to  your  office,  which  is  necessary  for  the  young, 
and  which  neither  the  world  nor  the  Spirit  can  do 
without.  We  have,  alas !  lived  and  degenerated  long 
enough  in  darkness;  we  have  remained  German  brutes 

o  * 

too  long.  Let  us  use  our  reason,  that  God  may  ob- 
serve in  us  gratitude  for  His  mercies,  and  that  other 
lands  may  see  that  we  are  human  beings,  capable 
both  of  learning  and  of  teaching,  in  order  that  through 
us,  also,  the  world  may  be  made  betterjM  have  done 
my  part;  I  have  desired  to  benefit  the  German  states, 
although  some  have  despised  me  and  set  my  counsel 
at  naught  as  knowing  better  themselves, — to  all  which 
I  must  submit.  I  know  indeed  that  others  could 
have  accomplished  it  better;  but  because  they  were 
silent,  I  have  done  the  best  I  could.  It  is  better  to 
have  spoken,  even  though  imperfectly,  than  to  have 
remained  silent.  And  I  have  hope  that  God  will 
rouse  some  of  you  to  listen  to  my  counsel,  and  that 

*Matt.  xviii.  10. 


AN   BEHALF  OF   CHRISTIAN   SCHOOLS.  2C>3 

instead  of  considering  the  adviser,  you  will  let  your- 
selves be  moved  by  the  great  interests  at  stake. 

Finally,  this  must  be  taken  into  consideration  by 
all  who  earnestly  desire  to  see  such  schools  established 
and  the  languages  preserved  in  the  German  states: 
that  no  cost  nor  pains  should  be  spared  to  procure 
good  libraries  in  suitable  buildings,  especially  in  the 
large  cities,  which  are  able  to  afford  it  For  if  a 
knowledge  of  the  Gospel  and  of  every  kind  of  learn- 
ing is  to  be  preserved,  it  must  be  embodied  in  books, 
as  the  prophets  and  apostles  did,  as  I  have  already 
shown.  This  should  be  done,  not  only  that  our 
spiritual  and  civil  leaders  may  have  something  to 
read  and  study,  but  also  that  good  books  may  not  be 
lost,  and  that  the  arts  and  languages  may  be  preserved, 
with  which  God  has  graciously  favored  us.  St.  Paul 
was  diligent  in  this  matter,  since  he  lays  the  injunction 
upon  Timothy:  "Give  attendance  to  reading;"*  and 
directs  him  to  bring  the  books,  but  especially  the 
parchments  left  at  Troas.f 

All  the  kingdoms  that  have  been  distinguished  in 
the  world  have  bestowed  care  upon  this  matter,  and 
particularly  the  Israelites,  among  whom  Moses  was 
the  first  to  begin  the  work,  who  commanded  them  to 

*  i  Tim.  iv.  13. 
f2  Tim.  iv.  13. 


2O4  LUTHER  ON  EDUCATION. 

preserve  the  book  of  the  law  in  the  ark  of  God,  and 
put  it  under  the  care  of  the  Levites,  that  any  one 
might  procure  copies  from  them.  He  even  com- 
manded the  king  to  make  a  copy  of  this  book  in  the 
hands  of  the  Levites.  Among  other  duties,  God 
directed  the  Levitical  priesthood  to  preserve  and  at- 
tend to  the  books.  Afterwards  Joshua  increased  and 
improved  this  library,  as  did  subsequently  Samuel, 
David,  Solomon,  Isaiah,  and  many  kings  and  prophets. 
Hence  have  come  to  us  the  Holy  Scriptures  of  the 
Old  Testament,  which  would  not  otherwise  have  been 
collected  and  preserved,  if  God  had  not  required  such 
diligence  in  regard  to  it. 

After  this  example  the  collegiate  churches  and  con- 
vents formerly  founded  libraries,  although  with  few 
good  books.  And  the  injury  resulting  from  the 
neglect  to  procure  books  and  good  libraries,  when 
there  were  men  and  books  enough  for  that  purpose, 
was  afterwards  perceived  in  the  decline  of  every  kind 
of  knowledge;  and  instead  of  good  books,  the  sense- 
less, useless,  and  hurtful  books  of  the  monks,  the 
Catholicon,  Florista,  Graecista,  Labyrinthus,  Dormi 
Secure,*  and  the  like  were  introduced  by  Satan,  so 
that  the  Latin  language  was  corrupted,  and  neither 
good  schools,  good  instruction,  nor  good  methods  of 

*  Names  of  Latin  grammars  and  collections  of  sermons. 


IN    BEHALF   OF    CHRISTIAN   SCHOOLS.  2O5 

study  remained.  And  as  we  see,  the  languages  and 
arts  are,  in  an  imperfect  manner,  recovered  from  frag- 
ments of  old  books  rescued  from  the  worms  and  dust; 
and  every  day  men  are  seeking  these  literary  remains, 
as  people  dig  in  the  ashes  of  a  ruined  city  after 
treasures  and  jewels. 

Therein  we  have  received  our  just  due,  and  God 
has  well  recompensed  our  ingratitude,  in  that  we  did 
not  consider  His  benefits,  and  lay  up  a  supply  of  good 
literature  when  we  had  time  and  opportunity,  but 
neglected  it,  as  if  we  were  not  concerned.  He  in 
turn,  instead  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  and  good  books, 
suffered  Aristotle  and  numberless  pernicious  books  to 
come  into  use,  which  only  led  us  further  from  the 
Bible.  To  these  were  added  the  progeny  of  Satan, 
the  monks  and  the  phantoms  of  the  universities,  which 
we  founded  at  incredible  cost,  and  many  doctors, 
preachers,  teachers,  priests  and  monks,  that  is  to  say, 
great,  coarse,  fat  asses,  adorned  with  red  and  brown 
caps,  like  swine  led  with  a  golden  chain  and  decorated 
with  pearls;  and  we  have  burdened  ourselves  with 
them,  who  have  taught  us  nothing  useful,  but  have 
made  us  more  and  more  blind  and  stupid,  and  as  a 
reward  have  consumed  all  our  property,  and  rilled  all 
the  cloisters,  and  indeed  every  corner,  with  the  dregs 
and  filth  of  their  unclean  and  noxious  books,  of  which 
we  can  not  think  without  horror. 


2O6  LUTHER    ON    EDUCATION. 

Has  it  not  been  a  grievous  misfortune  that  a  boy 
has  hitherto  been  obliged  to  study  twenty  years  or 
longer,  in  order  to  learn  enough  miserable  Latin  to 
become  a  priest  and  to  read  the  mass?  And  who- 
ever has  succeeded  in  this,  has  been  called  blessed, 
and  blessed  the  mother  that  has  borne  such  a  child! 
And  yet  he  has  remained  a  poor  ignorant  man  all 
through  life,  and  has  been  of  no  real  service  whatever. 
Everywhere  we  have  had  such  teachers  and  masters, 
who  have  known  nothing  themselves,  who  have  been 
able  to  teach  nothing  useful,  and  who  have  been 
ignorant  even  of  the  right  methods  of  learning  and 
teaching.  How  has  it  come  about?  No  books  have 
been  accessible  but  the  senseless  trash  of  the  monks 
and  sophists.  How  could  the  pupils  and  teachers  differ 
from  the  books  they  studied?  A  jackdaw  does  not 
hatch  a  dove,  nor  a  fool  make  a  man  wise.  That  is 
the  recompense  of  our  ingratitude,  in  that  we  did  not 
use  diligence  in  the  formation  of  libraries,  but  al- 
lowed good  books  to  perish,  and  bad  ones  to  survive. 

But  my  advice  is,  not  to  collect  all  sorts  of  books 
indiscriminately,  thinking  only  of  getting  a  vast  num- 
ber together.  I  would  have  discrimination  used, 
because  it  is  not  necessary  to  collect  the  commen- 
tdries  of  all  the  jurists,  the  productions  of  all  the  theo- 
logians, the  discussions  of  all  the  philosophers,  and 


IN    BEHALF   OF   CHRISTIAN    SCHOOLS.  2O/ 

the  sermons  of  all  the  monks.  Such  trash  I  would 
reject  altogether,  and  provide  my  library  only  with 
useful  books;  and  in  making  the  selection,  I  would 
advise  with  learned  men. 

In  the  first  place,  a  library  should  contain  the  Holy 
Scriptures  in  Latin,  Greek,  Hebrew,  German,  and 
other  languages.  Then  the  best  and  most  ancient 
commentators  in  Greek,  Hebrew,  and  Latin. 

Secondly,  such  books  as  are  useful  in  acquiring  the 
languages,  as  the  poets  and  orators,  without  consider- 
ing whether  they  are  heathen  or  Christian,  Greek  or 
Latin.  For  it  is  from  such  works  that  grammar 
must  be  learned. 

Thirdly,  books  treating  of  all  the  arts  and  sciences. 

Lastly,  books  on  jurisprudence  and  medicine, 
though  here  discrimination  is  necessary. 

A  prominent  place  should  be  given  to  chronicles 
and  histories,  in  whatever  languages  they  may  be 
obtained;  for  they  are  wonderfully  useful  in  under- 
standing and  regulating  the  course  of  the  world,  and 
in  disclosing  the  marvelous  works  of  God.  O  how 
many  noble  deeds  and  wise  maxims  produced  on 
German  soil  have  been  forgotten  and  lost,  because  no 
one  at  the  time  wrote  them  down ;  or  if  they  were 
written,  no  one  preserved  the  books:  hence  we 
Germans  are  unknown  in  other  lands,  and  are  called 


2O8  LUTHER   ON   EDUCATION. 

brutes  that  know  only  how  to  fight,  eat,  and  drink. 
But  the  Greeks  and  Romans,  and  even  the  Hebrews, 
have  recorded  their  history  with  such  particularity, 
that  even  if  a  woman  or  child  did  any  thing  note- 
worthy, all  the  world  was  obliged  to  read  and  know 
it;  but  we  Germans  are  always  Germans,  and  will 
remain  Germans. 

Since  God  has  so  graciously  and  abundantly  provided 
us  with  art,  scholars,  and  books,  it  is  time  for  us  to  reap 
the  harvest  and  gather  for  future  use  the  treasures  of 
these  golden  years.  For  it  is  to  be  feared,  (and  even 
now  it  is  beginning  to  take  place,)  that  new  and  differ- 
ent books  will  be  produced,  until  at  last,  through  the 
agency  of  the  devil,  the  good  books  which  are  being 
printed  will  be  crowded  out  by  the  multitude  of  ill- 
considered,  senseless,  and  noxious  works.  For  Satan 
certainly  designs  that  we  should  torture  ourselves 
again  with  Catholicons,  Floristas,  Modernists,  and 
\-  other  trash  of  the  accursed  monks  and  sophists,  always 
learning,  yet  never  acquiring  knowledge. 

Therefore,  my  dear  Sirs,  I  beg  you  to  let  my  labor 
bear  fruit  with  you.  And  though  there  be  some  who 
think  me  too  insignificant  to  follow  my  advice,  or  who 
look  down  upon  me  as  one  condemned  by  tyrants: 
still  let  them  consider  that  I  am  not  seeking  my  own 
interest,  but  that  of  all  Germany.  And  even  if  I  were  . 

\ 


IN   BEHALF  OF   CHRISTIAN   SCHOOLS.  209 

a  fool,  and  should  yet  hit  upon  something  good,  no 
wise  man  should  think  it  a  disgrace  to  follow  me. 
And  even  if  I  were  a  Turk  and  heathen,  and  it  should 
yet  appear  that  my  advice  was  advantageous,  not  for 
myself,   but   for    Christianity,   no    reasonable   person 
would    despise    my  counsel.     Sometimes  a  fool   has. 
given  better  advice  than  a  whole  company  of  wise.- 
men.     Moses  received  instruction  from  Jethro. 

Herewith  I  commend  you  all  to  the  grace  of  God.' 
May  He  soften  your  hearts,  and  kindle  therein  a  deep 
interest  in  behalf  of  the  poor,  wretched,  and  neglected 
youth ;  and  through  the  blessing  of  God  may  you  so 
counsel  and  aid  them  as  to  attain  to  a  happy  Christian 
social  order  in  respect  to  both  body  and  soul,  with  all 
fullness  and  abounding  plenty,  to  the  praise  and  honor 
of  God  the  Father,  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Saviour. 
Amen. 

Wittenberg,  1524., 


CHAPTER  X. 

SEBMON  ON  THE  DUTY  OF  SENDING  CHILDREN  TO  SCHOOL. 
DEDICATORY    LETTER. 

To  the  Honorable  Lazarus   Spengler,  Counselor  of 

the  City  of  Nuremberg, 

My  dear  Sir  and  Friend:  Grace  and  peace  in 
Christ,  our  dear  Lord  and  faithful  Saviour,  Amen. 

I  have  prepared  a  sermon  to  the  preachers,  who 
are  scattered  here  and  there,  on  the  duty  of  admonish- 
ing their  people  to  send  their  children  to  school ;  and 
it  has  so  grown  on  my  hands  as  to  become  in  fact  a 
book,  though  I  have  been  obliged  to  restrain  myself 
lest  it  become  too  large,  so  rich  and  fruitful  is  the 
subject.  Desiring  that  it  might  accomplish  much 
good,  I  have  sent  it  forth  under  your  name,  with  no 
other  purpose  than  that  it  might  thereby  attract  more 
attention,  and  be  read,  if  it  is  worthy,  among  your 
citizens.  For,  although  I  can  well  believe  that  your 
preachers  are  active  enough,  and  that  they,  as  highly 
favored  of  God,  recognize  and  further  this  interest,  so 
that — thanks  be  to  God — they  do  not  need  my  ad- 
monition and  instruction;  yet  it  does  no  harm  that 
(210) 


DUTY   OF   SENDING   CHILDREN   TO   SCHOOL.         211 

many  agree  in  this  matter,  and  thus  present  a  stronger 
front  to  the  devil. 

For  in  such  a  great  city  and  among  so  many 
citizens,  the  devil  will  certainly  try  his  art  and  tempt 
some  to  despise  the  Word  of  God;  and  in  particular, 
since  commerce  and  trade  will  present  many  occasions 
for  it,  he  will  seek  to  turn  the  children  from  educa- 
tion to  the  service  of  Mammon.  No  doubt  this  is 
now  occupying  his  thoughts;  for  if  he  should  succeed 
in  having  the  Word  and  schools  neglected  in  Nurem- 
berg, he  would  have  accomplished  a  great  task,  since 
he  would  have  set  an  example  that  would  have  much 
weight  in  all  Germany,  and  deal  a  heavy  blow  to 
education  in  other  cities.  For  Nuremberg  truly 
shines  in  Germany  as  a  sun  among  the  moon  and 
stars,  and  powerfully  influences  the  life  of  other  com- 
munities. 

But  thanks  and  praises  be  to  God,  who  long  ago 
anticipated  the  devil's  thoughts  and  caused  'your 
honorable  Council  to  establish  such  an  excellent 
school  that  without  boasting  I  may  say  that  no  other 
university,  not  even  that  of  Paris,  has  been  better 
provided  with  teachers,  as  all  must  testify  who  are 
acquainted  with  such  institutions.  For  my  part  I  am 
acquainted  with  them  only  too  well !  But  that  institu- 
tion is  an  ornament  to  your  city,  and  is  widely  cele- 


212  LUTHER   ON   EDUCATION. 

brated,  like  the  wise  Council  who,  in  its  establishment, 
showed  a  Christian  regard  for  their  subjects,  and 
provided,  not  only  for  their  eternal  weal,  but  also  for 
their  temporal  needs  and  honor.  Which  work  God 
will  certainly  continue  to  strengthen  more  and  more 
with  His  blessing  and  grace,  though  the  devil  struggle 
against  it  for  a  time;  for  he  can  not  see  with  pleasure 
that  such  a  tabernacle  be  built  to  our  God  in  this  sun 
among  cities,  and  he  collects  clouds,  mists,  and  dust, 
so  that  its  splendor  may  be  obscured  and  darkened. 
And  how  could  he  do  otherwise? 

Accordingly  I  hope  that  the  citizens  will  recognize 
the  fidelity  and  love  of  such  Councillors,  and  help 
earnestly  to  strengthen  the  work  by  keeping  their 
children  at  school,  since  they  see  that  without  cost  to 
themselves  their  children  have  been  richly  and  assidu- 
ously provided  for.  Especially  should  the  preachers 
urge  it;  for  where  they  do  not  do  so,  the  ordinary 
man  is  tempted  and  deceived  by  Satan,  so  that  he 
easily  loses  sight  of  his  duty,  and  fails  to  realize,  by 
reason  of  his  manifold  employments,  the  benefits  and 
injury  at  stake.  Therefore  we  should  exercise  patience, 
when  the  people  are  not  obdurate  and  wicked.  For  I 
know  that  Nuremberg  has  many  citizens  who,  God  be 
thanked,  gladly  do  their  duty  when  they  recognize  or 
are  taught  it — a  glory  they  have  not  only  with  me, 
but  also  throughout  Germany. 


DUTY    OF   SENDING    CHILDREN    TO    SCHOOL.          213 

But  it  will  not  fail  that  some  worshiper  of  Mam- 
mon will  withdraw  his  son  from  school  and  say  that 
"a  knowledge  of  arithmetic  and  reading  is  enough, 
since  we  now  have  German  books,  etc.,"  and  thus  set  a 
bad  example  before  pious  citizens,  who  follow  him 
to  their  injury,  in  the  opinion  that  he  has  done  well. 
In  this  matter  preachers  can  be  of  service.  For  a 
congregation,  and  especially  a  large  city  must  have 
not  only  merchants,  but  also  people  who  know  more 
than  arithmetic  and  reading  in  German  books.  Ger- 
man books  are  made  especially  for  the  common  man 
to  read  at  home.  But  for  preaching,  governing,  and 
directing,  both  in  the  spiritual  and  the  secular  sphere, 
all  the  sciences  and  languages  of  the  world  are  insuf- 
ficient, let  alone  the  German,  particularly  at  this  time 
when  we  have  to  speak  with  more  people  than  neigh- 
bor Jack.  But  these  devotees  of  Mammon  do  not 
think  of  government,  nor  consider  that  without 
preaching  and  ruling  they  would  not  be  able  to  serve 
their  idol  for  an  hour. 

I  must  believe  that  among  so  many  people  there 
are  a  few  who  do  not  care  about  the  honor  or  shame 
of  the  excellent  city  of  Nuremberg,  so  they  get  their 
penny.  But  we  should  pay  no  attention  to  such  hurt- 
ful Mammon  worshipers,  but  consider  that,  as  it  is  a 
high  honor  for  such  a  city  to  have  an  honorable  Coun- 


214  LUTHER  ON   EDUCATION. 

cil  providing  faithfully  for  schools,  so  it  would  be  a 
great  shame  for  the  citizens  to  despise  the  fidelity  of 
their  rulers,  and  thus  make  themselves  participators  in 
the  bad  example  and  scandal  that  would  be  set  before 
other  cities,  which  might  afterwards  say,  "  That  is  the 
way  they  do"  at  Nuremburg:  why  should  we  do 
better?" 

But  if  you  idolaters  will  not  consider  what  is  godly 
and  honorable,  and  will  think  only  of  Mammon,  God 
will  find  others  to  do  His  work.  For  I  have  known 
cities,  thanks  be  to  God,  in  which,  when  the  Council 
showed  itself  indifferent  to  schools,  the  pious  citizens 
took  the  matter  in  hand  and  compelled  the  Council  to 
establish  schools  and  provide  ministers.  In  like  man- 
ner at  Nuremberg,  if  God  wills,  the  shame  of  your 
evil  example  will  not  be  permitted  to  influence  the 
people  to  despise  the  schools,  which  an  honorable 
Council,  with  great  fidelity  and  expense,  has  estab- 
lished. 

But  whither,  my  dear  friend,  am  I  running  with  my 
letter?  It  is  one  of  those  things  which  a  person  can 
say  a  great  deal  about;  but  I  wish  herewith,  in  your 
name,  to  speak  to  all  your  citizens,  and  I  beg  you 
not  to  think  evil  of  me;  but,  as  you  have  hitherto 
done,  to  help  forward  the  cause.  God  knows  I  mean 
well.  May  Christ  our  Lord  strengthen  and  preserve 


DUTY   OF   SENDING   CHILDREN   TO    SCHOOL.         21$ 

you  against  that  day,  when  if  God  will,  we  shall  with 
joy  behold  each  other  in  another  form.  For  He  who 
has  hitherto  enabled  you  to  do  so  much  in  His  work 
and  Word,  will  continue  and  finish  it,  to  whom  be 
praise  and  thanksgiving  forever.  Amen. 

Your  obedient,          MARTIN  LUTHER. 
Wittenberg,  1530. 

To  all  Pastors  and  Preachers,  my  dear  Friends,  who 

love  Christ  in  sincerity.  MARTIN  LUTHER. 

Grace  and  peace  in  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord. 

My  very  dear  Sirs  and  Friends:  You  see  plainly 
how  Satan  is  now  attacking  us  on  all  sides,  both  with 
power  and  cunning,  and  brings  about  every  misery, 
that  he  may  destroy  the  holy  Gospel  and  the  kingdom 
of  God,  or,  if  he  can  not  destroy  it,  that  he  may  at 
least  hinder  it  in  every  way,  and  prevent  its  progress 
and  success.  Among  his  various  crafty  devices,  one 
of  the  greatest,  if  not  the  greatest,  is  to  delude  the 
common  people  into  withholding  their  children  from 
school  and  instruction,  while  he  suggests  to  them  such 
hurtful  thoughts  as  these:  ''Since  there  is  no  hope  for 
the  cloisters  and  priesthood  as  formerly,  we  do  not 
need  learned  men  and  study,  but  must  consider  how 
we  may  obtain  food  and  wealth." 

That  is  a  master-piece  of  Satanic  art;  since  he  sees 
that  he  can  not  have  his  way  in  our  times,  he  thinks 


2l6  LUTHER   Otf  EDUCATION. 

to  accomplish  his  purpose  with  our  descendants,  whom 
before  our  eyes  he  seeks  to  withhold  from  learning 
and  knowledge.  And  thus,  when  we  are  dead,  he  will 
have  a  naked  and  defenseless  people  before  him,  with 
whom  he  can  do  as  he  pleases.  For  if  the  Scriptures 
and  learning  perish,  what  will  remain  in  Germany,  but 
a  lawless  horde  of  Tartars  or  Turks,  yea,  a  multitude 
of  wild  beasts  ?  Such  results  he  does  not  allow  to 
appear  at  present,  and  powerfully  blinds  the  people, 
that  when  the  evil  does  come,  and  they  are  obliged  to 
learn  it  from  experience,  he  may  laugh  at  their  misery 
and  lamentation,  which  they  can  no  longer  do  any 
thing  to  help.  They  will  then  be  forced  to  say,  "  We 
have  waited  too  long,"  and  would  give  a  hundred 
florins  for  half  a  scholar,  while  now  they  would  not 
give  five  florins  for  a  thorough  one. 

And  because  they  are  not  willing  now  to  support 
and  keep  pious,  honorable,  and  skillful  school-masters 
and  teachers  who  at  small  expense  and  with  great  in- 
dustry and  pains  would  educate  their  children  in  the 
fear  of  God,  in  science,  doctrine,  and  honor,  it  would 
almost  serve  them  right  to  have  again,  as  in  former 
times,  a  set  of  ignorant  and  unprincipled  pedagogues 
who  at  great  cost  would  teach  their  children  nothing 
but  to  be  blockheads,  and  who  besides  would  dishonor 
their  wives,  daughters,  and  maid-servants.  Such  will 


DUTY    OF   SENDING   CHILDREN   TO    SCHOOL. 

be  the  reward  of  their  great,  shameful  ingratitude,  into 
which  the  devil  so  cunningly  leads  them. 

Since  now  as  pastors  we  are  to  watch  against  these 
and  other  wicked  devices,  we  must  not  sleep,  but  ad- 
vise, urge,  and  admonish,  with  all  might,  industry,  and 
care,  that  the  common  people  may  not  allow  them- 
selves to  be  deceived  and  led  astray  by  the  devil. 
Therefore  let  every  one  take  heed  to  himself  and  to 
his  office  that  he  may  not  sleep  and  thus  let  the  devil 
become  god  and  lord ;  for  if  we  are  silent  and  sleep, 
so  that  the  youth  are  neglected  and  our  descendants 
become  Tartars  or  wild  beasts,  we  will  have  to  bear 
the  responsibility  and  render  a  heavy  account. 

Although  I  know  that  many  of  you,  without  my 
admonition,  attend  to  this  matter  faithfully  (in  refer- 
ence to  which  I  formerly  addressed  a  special  treatise 
to  the  Mayors  and  Aldermen  of  the  German  cities), 
yet,  if  some  perchance  forget  it,  or  wish  to  follow  my 
example  in  laboring  at  it  more  diligently,  I  send  you 
this  sermon,  which  I  have  more  than  once  delivered 
to  our  people  here,  that  you  may  see  that  I  strive 
earnestly  with  you,  and  that  we  thus  everywhere  do 
our  duty  and  in  our  office  are  justified  before  God. 
Much  depends  truly  upon  us,  since  we  see  that  some 
who  are  even  called  ministers,  go  about  the  matter  as 
if  they  wished  to  let  all  schools,  discipline,  and  doctrine 


10 


2l8  LUTHER   ON   EDUCATION. 

perish,  or  even  to  help  to  destroy  them,  since  they 
cannot,  as  hitherto,  lead  the  wanton  life  to  which 
Satan  impels  them.  God  help  us,  Amen. 


THE  SERMON. 

Inasmuch  as  I  see,  dear  friends,  that  the  common 
people  are  placing  themselves  in  opposition  to  the 
schools,  and  that  they  wish  to  bring  up  their  children 
without  other  instruction  than  that  pertaining  to  their 
bodily  wants;  and  inasmuch  also  as  they  do  not  con- 
sider what  a  fearful  and  unchristian  course  they  are 
thus  pursuing,  and  what  a  great  and  murderous  injury 
they  are  inflicting,  in  the  service  of  Satan,  upon  so- 
ciety, I  have  undertaken  to  address  you  this  admon- 
itioiym  the  hope  that  perchance  there  are  some  who 
yet  in  some  measure  at  least  believe  that  there  is  a 
God  in  heaven,  and  a  hell  ready  for  the  wicked  (for 
all  the  world  acts  just  as  if  there  were  neither  a  God 
in  heaven  nor  devils  in  hell),  and  in  the  hope  also  that 
there  are  some  who  will  heed  the  admonition  after 
comtemplating  the  advantages  and  disadvantages  of 
education. 

We  will  first  consider  the  subject  in  its  spiritual  or 
eternal  aspects,  and  afterward  in  its  temporal  or  secu- 
lar relations.  I  trust  that  believers  and  all  who  wish 
to  be  called  Christians  understand  that  the  ministerial 


DUTY  OF  SENDING  CHILDREN  TO  SCHOOL.    2IQ 

office  was  instituted  of  God,  not  with  gold  and  silver, 
but  with  the  precious  blood  and  bitter  death  of  his 
only  Son,  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  For  from  His 
wounds,  (as  is  shown  in  the  epistles)  truly  flow  the 
sacraments,  and  His  blood  has  dearly  purchased  for 
mankind  the  blessing  of  the  ministerial  office,  the 
function  of  which  is  to  preach,  baptize,  loose,  bind, 
dispense  the  sacraments,  comfort,  warn,  admonish 
with  God's  Word,  and  do  whatever  else  pertains  to  the 
care  of  souls.  Such  an  office  not  only  promotes  tem- 
poral life  and  every  secular  condition,  but  it  also  gives 
eternal  life,  releases  from  death  and  sin,  which  is  its 
peculiar  and  distinguished  work;  and  indeed  the 
world  stands  and  abides  only  on  account  of  this  office, 
without  which  it  would  long  since  have  perished. 

But  I  do  not  mean  the  clerical  office,  with  its  celi- 
bate manner  of  life,  as  seen  in  the  cloisters  and  cathe- 
drals; for  it  has  there  degenerated  from  its  original 
excellent  purpose,  and  become  a  device  for  obtaining 
money  and  contributions  from  the  people;  it  has  noth- 
ing clerical  about  it  but  celibacy,  which  is  not  neces- 
sary, and  it  consists  alone  in  external,  worldly  display; 
for  the  Word  of  God  and  the  work  of  preaching  are 
totally  disregarded.  Where  the  Scriptures  are  neg- 
lected, there  the  clergy  must  be  worthless. 

But  I  mean  the  clerical  office  which  pays  attention 


22O  LUTHER   ON   EDUCATION. 

to  preaching  and  the  ministration  of  the  Word  and 
Sacraments ;  which  imparts  the  Holy  Spirit  and  salva- 
tion— blessings  not  to  be  obtained  by  means  of  music 
and  display;  which  includes  the  duties  of  pastor, 
teacher,  preacher,  reader,  chaplain,  sexton,  and  school- 
master; and  which  is  highly  praised  and  extolled  in 
the  Scriptures,  i  St.  Paul  speaks  of  ministers  as  the 
stewards  and  servants  of  God,  bishops,  prophets,  and 
also  ambassadors  of  God  to  reconcile  the  world  to 
God  (2  Cor.  v.  20).  Joel  calls  them  the  Lord's  mes- 
sengers ;  David  calls  them  kings  and  princes ;  Haggai 
calls  them  messengers;  and  Malachi  says,  "The 
priest's  lips  should  keep  knowledge;  for  he  is  the 
messenger  of  the  Lord  of  hosts"  (Mai.  ii.  7);  as  Christ 
also  says,  Matthew  xi.  10,  when  he  calls  John  the 
Baptist  a  messenger,  and  also  throughout  the  book  of 
Revelation. 

The  ancients  were  very  loth  to  assume  this  office 
on  account  of  its  great  worth  and  responsibility,  and 
they  had  to  be  urged  and  forced  to  do  so ;  but  after- 
wards, and  up  to  the  present  time,  there  have  been 
many  who  have  praised  the  office  on  account  of  the 
mass  more  than  on  account  of  preaching,  which  praise 
has  increased  to  such  a  point  that  the  priests  are  ex- 
alted above  Mary  and  the  angels,  because  the  angels 
and  Mary  cannot  celebrate  mass.  A  new  priest  and  a 


DUTY   OF   SENDING   CHILDREN   TO    SCHOOL.         221 

first  mass  have  been  held  of  great  importance,  and 
blessed  has  been  the  mother  that  has  borne  a  priest ; 
but  the  Word  of  God  and  the  work  of  preaching, 
which  is  the  highest  function  of  the  clerical  office, 
have  been  disregarded.  And  in  a  word,  a  man  who 
could  celebrate  mass,  has  been  called  a  priest,  although 
he  has  not  been  able  to  preach  at  all,  and  has  been 
only  an  unlearned  ass ;  and  such  for  the  most  part  is 
the  clerical  office  to-day. 

If  it  is  certain  and  true  that  God  has  instituted  the 
office  of  the  ministry  with  His  own  blood  and  death, 
we  may  be  sure  that  He  desires  to  have  it  highly 
honored,  and  continued  till  the  day  of  judgment. 
For  the  Gospel  and  Christianity  must  abide  till  that 
lay,  as  Christ  says,  Matthew  xxviii.  20:  "Lo,  I  am 
with  you  alway,  even  unto  the  end."  But  through 
whom  is  it  to  be  continued  ?  Oxen  and  horses,  dogs 
and  swine,  will  not  do  it,  nor  wood  and  stone;  it  must 
be  done  by  men  :  for  this  office  has  not  been  commit- 
ted to  oxen  and  horses,  but  to  men.  But  where  shall 
we  find  persons  for  this  work,  except  among  those 
who  have  children  ?  If  you  refuse  to  bring  up  your 
child  for  it,  and  others  do  the  same,  so  that  no  fathers 
and  mothers  give  their  children  to  our  God,  how  can 
the  ministerial  office  be  filled?  The  present  incum- 
bents can  not  live  forever,  but  are  dying  daily ;  and  if 


222  LUTHER    ON    EDUCATION. 

there  are  none  to  take  their  places,  what  will  God  say? 
Do  you  suppose  it  will  be  pleasing  to  Him  that  an  of- 
fice, divinely  instituted  for  His  honor  and  glory,  and 
our  salvation,  is  shamefully  despised  and  with  base  in- 
gratitude allowed  to  perish  ? 

He  has  given  the  children  and  the  means  of  their 
support,  not  that  you  might  simply  have  pleasure  in 
them  and  bring  them  up  for  worldly  display.  You  are 
earnestly  commanded  to  bring  them  up  for  the  service 
of  God ;  and  otherwise  you  will  perish  with  your  chil- 
dren, as  the  First  Commandment  says:  "I  the  Lord 
thy  God  am  a  jealous  God,  visiting  the  iniquity  of  the 
fathers  upon  the  children  unto  the  third  and  fourth 
generation  of  them  that  hate  me."  * 

But  how  will  you  bring  them  up  to  the  service  of 
God  when  preaching  and  the  ministerial  office  have 
passed  away?  And  the  fault  is  yours,  since  you 
might  have  helped  to  preserve  them,  if  you  had  in- 
structed your  child.  For  when  you  can  teach  your 
child,  and  it  is  capable  and  desirous  of  learning,  and 
you  do  not  aid  but  hinder  it,  (mark  my  words  well !) 
you  are  responsible  for  the  injury  that  comes  to  the 
world  through  the  decline  of  the  ministry  and  the 
neglect  of  God  and  His  word.  Such  is  your  responsi- 
bility if  you  let  the  ministry  decline ;  and  if  you  do 

*Deut.  v.  9. 


DUTY   OF   SENDING    CHILDREN   TO   SCHOOL.         223 

not  feel  enough  interest  to  give  your  child,  you  would 
act  the  same  if  all  the  children  in  the  world  were 
yours, — so  that  as  far  as  you  are  concerned  the  service 
of  God  would  perish. 

And  it  does  no  good  to  say :  "  My  neighbor  keeps 
his  son  at  school,  I  dare  not  do  it,"  and  so  forth.  For 
your  neighbor  can  say  the  same  thing,  and  so  on  with 
all  neighbors;  and  where  then  will  God  find  peo- 
ple for  the  ministerial  office?  You  have  children,  and 
can  give  them,  but  will  not  do  it;  thus,  so  far  as  you 
are  concerned,  the  ministry  falls  to  the  ground.  And 
because  you  with  gross  ingratitude  let  the  sacred  office, 
so  dearly  purchased,  languish  and  die,  you  will  be  ac- 
cursed, and  in  your  own  person,  or  in  your  children, 
you  will  suffer  shame  and  sorrow,  or  otherwise  be  so 
tormented,  that  you  will  be  damned  with  them,  not 
only  here  on  earth,  but  eternally  in  hell.  This  will  not 
fail  to  come  upon  you,  in  order  that  you  may  learn 
that  your  children  are  not  so  entirely  your  own,  that 
you  can  withhold  them  from  God;  He  will  have  justice, 
and  they  are  more  His  than  yours. 

PART    FIRST. 

The  Spiritual  Benefit  or  Injury  arising  from  the  Sup- 
port or  Neglect  of  Schools. 

And  that  you  may  not  think  that  I  speak  too  harshly, 


224  LUTHER   ON    EDUCATION. 

I  will  lay  before  you  in  part  (for  who  can  tell  all?)  the 
benefit  or  the  injury  that  you  are  doing,  so  that,  in  case 
you  find  yourself  guilty,  and  do  not  amend  your  ways, 
you  will  be  obliged  to  say  yourselves,  that  you  verily 
belong  to  the  devil,  and  deserve  to  be  condemned  to 
hell;  or  so  that,  on  the  other  hand,  you  may  heartily 
rejoice  and  be  glad  if  you  find  yourself  chosen  of  God, 
to  educate  with  your  means  and  labor  a  son,  who  will 
become  a  pious  Christian  pastor,  preacher,  or  school- 
master, and  thus  to  bring  up  for  God  an  especial  serv- 
ant— yea,  as  was  said  above,  a  messenger  of  God,  a 
pious  bishop,  a  saviour  of  many  people,  a  king  and 
prince  in  the  kingdom  of  Christ,  a  teacher  among 
God's  people,  a  light  of  the  world.  And  who  will  or 
can  relate  all  the  honor  and  excellence  that  a  good 
and  faithful  pastor  has  before  God  ?  There  is  no  more 
precious  treasure,  no  nobler  thing  on  earth,  than  a 
pious,  faithful  pastor  or  preacher. 

For  consider  that  whatever  of  good  is  connected 
with  the  office  of  preaching  and~the  care  of  souls,  will 
be  accomplished  by  your  son,  if  he  is  faithful  in  his 
ministry,  so  that  through  him  many  souls  will  be 
daily  taught,  converted,  baptized,  brought  to  Christ, 
made  blessed,  redeemed  from  sin,  death,  hell,  and  the 
devil,  and  come  to  perfect  righteousness  and  eternal 
life  in  heaven.  Daniel  well  says :  "  They  that  teach 


DUTY    OF   SENDING    CHILDREN   TO    SCHOOL.          225 

others  shall  shine  as  the  brightness  of  the  firmament; 
and  they  that  turn  many  to  righteousness,  as  the  stars 
forever  and  ever"  (Dan.  xii.  3).]  For  since  God's  Word 
and  office,  where  they  are  rightly  employed,  must 
always  accomplish  great  things,  and  indeed  work, 
miracles,  your  son  will  be  constantly  doing  wonderful: 
things  for  God,  such  as  to  raise  the  dead,  cast  out: 
devils,  make  the  blind  to  see,  the  deaf  to  hear,  the 
lepers  to  be  clean,  the  dumb  to  speak,  and  the  lame  to,- 
walk.  If  this  is  not  done  in  the  body,  it  is  done  in  the 
soul,  which  is  indeed  a  greater  work,  as  Christ  says,. 
John  xiv.  12:"  He  that  believeth  on  me,  the  works 
that  I  do  shall  -he  do  also ;  and  greater  works  than 
these  shall  he  do."  If  a  simple  Christian  can  do  such 
things  in  the  case  of  individuals,  how  much  more  can 
a  public  preacher  accomplish,  who  deals  with  whole 
congregations?  Not  that  he  does  it  himself,  but  his 
office,  which  has  been  instituted  of  God  for  that  pur- 
pose, and  the  Woj-d  of  God,  which  he  teaches;  for  he 
is  but  an  instrument  in  the  hands  of  God. 

If  he  does  such  great  works  and  miracles  spirit- 
ually, it  follows  that  he  does  them  also  physically,  or 
at  least  is  a  beginner  and  cause  of  them.  For  whence 
comes  it  that  Christians  will  rise  from  the  dead  on  the 
day  of  judgment?  —that  all  the  deaf,  blind,  lame,  and  all 

other  sufferers  will  throw  off  their  bodily  ailments,  and 
10* 


226  LUTHER    ON    EDUCATION. 

that  their  bodies  will  not  simply  become  beautiful  and 
sound,  but,  as  Christ  says,  shine  bright  and  glorious 
as  the  sun?  Does  it  not  come  from  the  fact  that 
here  on  earth,  through  the  Word  of  God,  they  have 
been  converted,  baptized,  and  united  to  Christ?  As 
Paul  says,  Rom.  viii.  1 1 :  "  He  that  raised  up  Christ 
from  the  dead  shall  also  quicken  your  mortal  bodies 
by  His  Spirit  that  dwelleth  in  you."  Who  helps  men 
to  such  faith,  and  the  beginning  of  the  bodily  resurrec- 
tion, without  the  office  of  preaching  and  the  Word  of 
God,  which  are  committed  to  your  son?  Is  that  not 
an  immeasurably  grander  and  more  splendid  work 
and  miracle,  than  if  He  raised  the  dead  here  in  the 
world,  and  restored  the  blind,  deaf,  dumb,  and  leprous 
to  a  perishable  existence  ? 

If  you  were  certain  that  your  son  would  perform 
one  of  these  works  on  a  single  individual,  so  that  he 
would  make  a  blind  man  to  see,  raise  a  man  from  the 
dead,  rescue  a  soul  from  the  devil,  or  save  a  human 
being  from  hell,  would  you  not  properly,  with  all  joy, 
use  your  means  to  educate  him  for  such  an  office  and 
work?  And  would  you  not  leap  for  joy  that  with 
your  money  you  had  accomplished  so  great  a  thing 
for  God?  For  what  are  all  endowments  and  cloisters, 
as  they  now  exist  with  their  own  works,  in  comparison 
with  such  a  pastor,  preacher,  or  school-master? 


DUTY   OF   SENDING    CHILDREN    TO   SCHOOL.         22J 

although  in  former  times  they  were  established  by 
pious  kings  and  lords  for  this  precious  end,  that  they 
might  be  agencies  for  bringing  up  such  pastors  and 
preachers ;  but  now  alas !  through  the  influence  of  the 
devil,  they  have  sunk  into  degradation,  so  that  they 
have  become,  to  the  injury  and  destruction  of  Chris- 
tianity, the  suburbs  of  hell. 

Behpld,  thy  son  performs  not  only  one  such  work, 
but  many,  and  that  every  day;  and  what  is  best  of  all, 
he  does  them  in  the  sight  of  God,  who  holds  them 
dear,  as  has  been  shown,  though  men  do  not  recog- 
nize and  esteem  them ;  yea,  if  the  world  regard  him  as 
a  heretic,  seducer,  deceiver,  so  much  the  better:  it  is  a 
good  sign  that  he  is  an  upright  man,  and  like  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ.  For  Christ  himself  was  held  a 
deceiver,  rebel,  and  criminal,  and  was  judged  and 
crucified  with  murderers.  Were  I  a  preacher,  what 
would  it  concern  me  that  the  world  called  me  a  devil, 
if  I  knew  that  God  called  me  an  angel?  Let  the 
world  call  me  a  seducer  as  long  as  it  pleases — if  God 
but  call  me  his  faithful  servant  and  steward,  the  angels 
call  me  their  companion,  the  saints  call  me  their 
brother,  the  believing  call  me  their  father,  distressed 
souls  call  me  their  saviour,  the  ignorant  call  me  their 
light,  and  God  approves  of  it  all,  what  harm  can  the 
world  and  the  devil  do  me  with  their  calumny  and 
abuse  ? 


228  LUTHER   ON    EDUCATION. 

We  have  been  speaking  of  the  works  and  miracles 
which  your  son  does  in  relation  to  souls,  in  saving 
them  from  sin,  death,  and  the  devil.  But  in  relation 
to  the  world  also  he  does  great  and  mighty  works,  in 
that  he  informs  and  instructs  all  classes  how  they  are 
to  discharge  their  various  duties  in  a  manner  accept- 
able to  God.  He  comforts  the  sorrowing,  gives 
counsel,  settles  difficulties,  calms  disturbed  consciences, 
helps  to  maintain  peace,  to  appease,  to  reconcile,  and 
similar  duties  without  number;  for  a  preacher  con- 
firms, strengthens,  and  supports  all  authority,  all 
temporal  peace,  governs  the  seditious,  teaches  obedi- 
ence, morality,  discipline,  and  honor,  and  gives  in- 
struction in  the  duties  pertaining  to  fathers,  mothers, 
children,  servants,  and  in  a  word  to  all  other  secular 
relations  of  life.  These  are,  it  is  true,  the  least  of  a 
pastor's  services;  yet  they  are  so  excellent  and  noble 
that  the  wisest  of  the  heathen  philosophers  did  not 
recognize  or  understand,  much  less  practice  them ; 
and  no  jurist,  no  university,  no  cloister,  knows  of  such 
works,  nor  are  they  taught  in  either  ecclesiastical  or 
civil  law.  For  there  is  no  one  who  recognizes  such 
secular  offices  as  the  great  gifts  or  gracious  arrange- 
ment of  God ;  it  is  the  Word  of  God  and  the  minis- 
terial office  alone  that  highly  praise  and  honor  them. 

Therefore,  if  we  wish  to  speak  the  truth,  we  must 


DUTY  OF  SENDING  CHILDREN  TO  SCHOOL.    22Q 

say  that  temporal  peace — the  greatest  good  on  earth, 
in  which  all  other  temporal  blessings  are  compre- 
hended— is  really  a  fruit  of  the  ministerial  office.  P'or 
where  it  perishes,  there  are  found  war,  hatred,  and  the 
shedding  of  blood;  and  where  it  is  not  properly  exer- 
cised, we  find,  if  not  actual  war,  at  least  a  constant 
unrest,  a  desire  for  war  and  bloodshed.  We  see  this 
exemplified  in  the  case  of  the  Papists,  who  can  do 
nothing  but  shout  fire  and  blood,  and  who  murder  in- 
nocent pastors  on  account  of  marriage,  though  the 
Pope  himself  and  their  own  ecclesiastical  law  only 
sanction  as  the  highest  punishment  for  such  an  offense 
expulsion  from  the  priestly  office,  according  the  offend- 
ers life,  and  property,  and  Christian  integrity;  and  so 
far  from  condemning  them  to  hell,  they  do  not  even 
hold  them  as  heretics,  as  all  the  jurists  and  the  world 
at  large  must  testify,  and  as  the  imperial  Diet  at 
Nuremberg  decreed.  But  the  blind  bloodhounds  who 
have  turned  the  clerical  office  into  a  lie,  can  not  de- 
sist from  murder,  as  their  god  the  devil  also  does, 
who  from  the  beginning  has  been  a  murderer  and  liar. 
(John  viii.  44.) 

An  upright  pastor,  then,  serves  mankind  in  body 
and  soul,  in  estate  and  honor.  But  above  that,  con- 
sider how  he  serves  God,  and  what  splendid  sacrifices 
and  services  he  renders :  ( for  through  his  office  and 


23O  LUTHER   ON    EDUCATION. 

Word,  the  kingdom  of  God  is  maintained  in  the  world, 
the  honor,  the  name,  the  glory  of  God,  a  right  faith 
and  apprehension  of  Christ,  the  fruit  of  the  suffering, 
and  blood,  and  death  of  Christ,  the  gifts,  works  and 
power  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  proper  use  of  Baptism 
and  the  Lord's  Supper,  the  pure  doctrine  of  the  Gos- 
pel, the  proper  manner  of  chastening  and  crucifying 
the  flesh,  and  similar  blessings.  Who  can  sufficiently 
extol  a  single  one  of  them?  And  how  much  re- 
mains to  be  said!  The  faithful  pastor  rights  against 
the  devil,  worldly  wisdom,  spiritual  blindness ;  he 
gains  victories  over  them,  strikes  down  error,  sup- 
presses heresies.  For  he  must  strive  and  battle 
against  the  gates  of  hell,  overcome  the  devil,  which  he 
also  does,  not  by  his  own  might,  but  through  his  office 
and  word.  These  are  all  inexpressible  works  and 
miracles  of  the  ministerial  office.  In  a  word,  if  we 
praise  God  himself,  we  must  also  praise  the  Word  and 
preaching;  for  it  is  the  office  and  Word  of  God. 

If  you  were  a  king,  you  should  yet  esteem  yourself 
unworthy  to  consecrate  your  son,  with  all  your  prop- 
erty, to  such  an  office  and  work.  Is  not  the  labor  or 
the  penny  that  you  bestow  on  such  a  son,  too  highly 
honored,  too  richly  blessed,  too  costly  invested,  and 
in  the  eyes  of  God  is  it  not  better  than  any  kingdom 
or  empire?  A  man  ought  to  carry  such  a  penny  to 


DUTY    OF   SENDING    CHILDREN   TO    SCHOOL.          23! 

the  ends  of  the  earth,  if  he  knew  that  it  would  be  so 
splendidly  invested.  And  behold,  you  have  in  your 
own  house  and  in  your  own  bosom  the  means  of  this 
priceless  investment.  Shame,  and  again  I  say  shame 
upon  our  blind  and  base  ingratitude,  that  we  do  not 
see  what  a  beautiful  and  excellent  service  we  render 
to  God,  yea,  what  great  personages  we  may  become 
in  His  sight,  with  little  effort  and  expense. 

The  Papists  abuse  us  Lutherans  for  not  teaching 
good  works.  They  are  fine  fellows  to  talk  about 
good  works!  Are  not  the  things  just  mentioned 
good  works  ?  What  are  all  the  works  of  the  priests 
and  monks  in  comparison  with  such  miracles?  Their 
talk  is  like  the  chattering  of  jackdaws,  only  not  so 
good;  for  the  jackdaws  chatter  from  love  and  pleasure, 
but  the  Papists  howl  from  chagrin.  If  people  have 
heretofore  set  great  store  by  the  first  mass  and  a  new 
priest ;  if  father  and  mother  with  their  friends  have 
rejoiced  because  they  had  brought  up  a  son  to  be  an 
idle,  lazy,  useless  priest  of  the  mass  or  of  the  cup- 
board, who  with  his  blasphemous  sacrifice  of  the  mass 
and  his  reprobate  prayers  insults  God,  and  vexes  and 
flays  society:  how  much  more  should  you  rejoice,  if 
you  bring  up  a  son  for  one  of  these  callings,  in  which 
you  are  sure  that  he  grandly  serves  God,  richly  aids 
mankind,  and  heroically  fights  the  devil?  Here  you 


232  LUTHER   ON    EDUCATION. 

make  a  true  sacrifice  of  your  son,  so  that  the  angels 
are  obliged  to  regard  you  with  admiration. 

Again,  you  should  also  know  the  injury  you  do,  if 
you  take  the  opposite  course.  For  if  God  has  given 
you  a  child  suitable  for  such  an  office,  and  you  do 
not  bring  him  up  for  it,  thinking  only  of  his  temporal 
wants;  take  up  the  list  of  good  works  and  miracles 
above  given,  and  examine  it,  and  you  will  find  what  a 
hypocrite  you  are.  For  as  far  as  lies  in  your  power, 
you  deprive  God  of  a  messenger,  a  servant,  a  king 
and  prince  in  his  kingdom,  a  saviour  and  comforter  of 
man  in  body  and  soul,  in  estate  and  honor,  a  captain 
and  knight  to  contend  against  the  devil;  and  at  the 
same  time  you  make  room  for  the  devil,  and  advance 
his  kingdom,  by  helping  him  to  keep  souls  in  sin, 
death,  hell,  and  daily  to  bring  many  more  under  his 
power ;  you  aid  in  perpetuating  heresy,  error,  discon- 
tent, war,  and  hate  in  the  world,  whereby  it  daily 
becomes  worse;  and  thus  the  kingdom  of  God,  Christian 
faith,  the  fruit  of  the  suffering  and  blood  of  Christ,  the 
work  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  Gospel  and  all  worship 
of  God  perish,  while  the  service  of  Satan  and  fatal 
errors  gain  the  ascendency.  This  condition  of  things 
would  have  been  hindered  and  bettered,  if  you  had 
brought  up  your  child  to  the  ministry. 

How  will  it  be  with  you,  when  God  on  your  death- 


DUTY    OF   SENDING   CHILDREN   TO   SCHOOL.         233 

bed,  or  in  the  day  of  judgment,  thus  addresses  you :  "  I 
was  hungry,  thirsty,  a  guest,  naked,  sick,  in  prison,  and 
you  did  not  help  me ;  for  what  you  have  not  done  to 
my  people  and  kindom  and  Gospel  on  earth,  helping 
to  destroy  them  and  allowing  souls  to  perish,  you 
have  not  done  to  me.  For  you  could  have  helped 
me  ;  I  had  given  you  children  and  property;  but  you 
stubbornly  permitted  me  and  my  kingdom  and  the 
souls  of  men  to  suffer  want  and  to  be  despised,  while 
in  opposition  to  me  you  served  Satan  and  his  kingdom. 
He  shall  now  be  your  reward;  depart  with  him  into 
the  abyss  of  hell!  You  have  not  helped  to  build  up 
and  advance  my  kingdom,  but  to  weaken  and  destroy 
it;  you  have  helped  to  promote  the  interests  and  power 
of  the  devil:  dwell  then  in  the  house  you  have 
built." 

What  do  you  think  ?  Are  you  not  in  danger  that  the 
wrath  of  God  may  suddenly  overtake  you,  who  go  on 
heedlessly,  as  if  you  were  doing  right  in  not  instruct- 
ing yo'ur  children  ?  And  when  his  judgment  comes, 
you  will  have  to  say  that  you  are  righteously  con- 
demned to  hell  as  one  of  the  most  impious  and  most 
hurtful  of  men.  And  if  you  would  now,  in  the  present 
life,  rightly  consider  the  matter,  you  would  be  filled 
with  terror;  for  no  conscience  is  able  to  bear  the  guilt 
of  a  single  one  of  the  particulars  mentioned  above; 


234  LUTHER   ON   EDUCATION. 

how  much  less  can  it  bear  the  burden  of  all  when  they 
suddenly  fall  upon  the  soul?  Your  heart  will  then 
cry  out  that  your  sins  are  more  numerous  than  the 
leaves  of  the  forest,  greater  than  heaven  and  earth, 
and  with  Manasseh,  king  of  Judah,  you  will  exclaim : 
"  My  sins  are  more  than  the  sands  of  the* seashore,  and 
my  offense  is  great." 

Our  natural  sense  of  right  attests  this  truth,  that 
whoever  can  prevent  an  injury,  and  does  not  do  it,  he 
is  guilty  of  the  injury,  since  he  evidently  has  a  desire 
and  will  for  it,  and  would  do  it  himself,  if  he  had  cause 
and  opportunity.  Therefore  such  people  are  no  better 
than  Satan  himself,  because  they  are  so  hostile  to  God 
and  the  world,  that  they  help  to  overthrow  religion  and 
social  order,  and  faithfully  serve  the  devil.  In  a  word, 
if  we  can  denounce  Satan  enough,  we  can  denounce 
such  people  enough,  who  hinder  the  office  and  work 
ordained  of  God:  for  they  are  the  servants  of  the 
devil. 

I  do  not  mean  that  every  one  is  obliged  to  bring  up 
his  child  to  such  an  office,  for  all  -boys  are  not  to  be- 
come pastors,  preachers,  school-masters ;  and  it  is  well 
to  know  that  the  children  of  lords  and  nobles  are  not 
to  be  thus  employed,  since  society  needs  them  for  sec- 
ular authority  and  social  order.  I  speak  of  the  com- 
mon people,  who  would  formerly  have  schooled  their 


DUTY   OF  SENDING   CHILDREN  TO   SCHOOL.         2$ 5 

children  for  the  sake  of  a  benefice  and  an  income,  and 
who  now  only  on  account  of  support  withhold  them 
from  the  office,  although  they  need  no  heirs,  and  keep 
their  children  from  school,  notwithstanding  the  fact 
that  their  children  are  well  adapted  to  the  ministry, 
and  could  serve  God  without  want  or  hindrance. 
;  Such  promising  children  should  be  instructed,  es- 
pecially the  children  of  the  poor ;  for  this  purpose  the 
revenues  of  endowments  and  monasteries  were  pro- 
vided. But  also  the  boys -that  are  less  promising 
should  learn  at  least  to  uaderstoid,  read>  and  write 
Latin.  For  we  need  not  only  learned  doctors  and 
masters  in  the  Scriptures,  t>ut  also,  ordinary  pastors, 
who  may  teach  the  Gospel  and  the  catechism  to  the 
young  and  ignorant,  baptize,  administer  the  Lord's 
Supper,  &c.  If  they  are  not  capable  of  contending 
with  heretics,  it  does  not  matter.  For  in  a  good 
building,  we  need  both  large  and  small  timber;  and 
in  like  manner  we  must  have  sextons  and  others  to  aid 

the  minister  and  further  the  Word  of  God.   ] 
i  f^ 

And  if  such  a  boy  who  has  learned>  Latin  afterwards 

works  at  a  trade,  you  will  have  him  in  reserve,  to 
labor  as  a  pastor  in  case  of  need ;  and  such  knowl- 
edge will  not  interfere  with  his  gaining  a  livelihood 
and  will  enable  him  to  govern  his  house  all  the 
better.  And  especially  in  our  times  is  it  easy  to  edu- 


236  LUTHER   ON   EDUCATION. 

cate  such  persons,  who  may  learn  the  Gospel  and  the 
catechism,  because  not  only  the  Holy  Scriptures  but 
also  every  kind  of  learning  is  now  within  reach,  with 
so  many  books  and  so  much  reading  and  preaching 
that  (God  be  thanked!)  a  man  at  present  can  learn 
more  in  three  years  than  formerly  in  twenty;  even 
women  and  children  can  now  learn  more  of  God  and 
Christ  from  German  books  and  sermons  (I  speak  the 
truth)  than  was  formerly  known  by  the  universities, 
priests,  monks,  the  whole  Papacy,  and  the  entire 
world.  1  But  even  the  ordinary  pastor  and  preacher 
must  "Be  acquainted  with  Latin,  which  he  can  no  more 
dispense  with  than  the  learned  can  dispense  with 
Greek  and  Hebrew,  as  St.  Augustine  says,  and  eccle- 
siastical law  itself  establishes. 

v  But  you  say,  "  How  if  it  turns  out  badly,  so  that  my 
son  becomes  a  heretic  or  a  villain?"  For,  as  people 
'  say,  "  education  means  perversion."  Well,  you  must 
run  that  risk ;  but  your  labor  is  not  lost.  God  will 
consider  your  faithful  service,  and  will  count  it  as  if 
successful.  You  must  run  the  risk,  as  in  other  callings 
to  which  you  wish  to  bring  up  your  son.  How  was  it 
with  Abraham,  whose  son  Ishmael  did  badly ;  with 
Isaac  and  his  son  Esau ;  with  Adam  and  his  son  Cain? 
Ought  Abraham  for  that  reason  to  have  neglected  his 
son  Isaac,  Isaac  his  son  Jacob,  and  Adam  his  son 


DUTY  OF  SENDING  CHILDREN  TO  SCHOOL.    237 

Abel?  Among  the  chosen  children  of  Israel,  how 
many  wicked  kings  and  people  there  were,  who  with 
their  heresy  and  idolatry  wrought  all  manner  of  evil 
and  slew  the  prophets:  would  it  therefore  have  been 
right  for  the  priests  to  neglect  the  whole  people,  and 
educate  no  one  for  the  service  of  God  ?  How  many 
wicked  priests  and  Levites  were  in  the  tribe  of  Levi, 
which  God  himself  chose  for  the  priestly  office  ? 
How  many  people  has  God  on  earth  who  abuse  all 
his  goodness  ?  Should  He  therefore  withhold  His 
goodness,  suffer  all  men  to  perish,  and  cease  to  do 
well? 

You  should  not  be  anxious  in  regard  to  the  support 
of  your  son  in  case  he  devotes  himself  to  learning  and 
the  ministry,  for  God  has  not  forsaken  and  forgotten 
you  in  this  particular.  He  has  ordained  through  St. 
Paul,  i  Cor.  ix.  14,  "that  they  which  preach  the 
Gospel  should  live  of  the  Gospel."  And  Christ  him- 
self has  said,  Matt.  x.  10,  that  "  the  workman  is 
worthy  of  his  meat."  In  the  Old  Testament,  in  order 
that  the  ministerial  office  might  not  perish,  God  chose 
and  took  the  whole  tribe  of  Levi,  that  is  to  say,  the 
twelfth  part  of  the  whole  people  of  Israel,  and  gave 
them  "the  tenth  in  Israel  for  an  inheritance,"  and  in 
addition  the  first  fruits,  all  kinds  of  offerings,  their 
own  cities,  land,  and  cattle,  and  whatever  belongs 


238  LUTHER   ON    EDUCATION. 

thereto.  In  the  New  Testament  era,  see  how  richly 
in  former  times  emperors,  kings,  princes  and  lords, 
contributed  to  the  support  of  this  office,  so  that 
churches  and  monasteries  now  surpass  kings  and 
princes  in  wealth.  God  will  not  and  can  not  forsake 
his  faithful  servants,  as  He  has  promised,  Heb.  xiii.  5 : 
"  I  will  never  leave  thee  nor  forsake  thee." 

Consider  for  yourselves  how  many  pastorates, 
schools,  and  other  offices  are  daily  becoming  vacant. 
That  fact  assures  your  son  of  a  support  before  he 
needs  it  or  has  earned  it.  When  I  was  a  young 
student,  I  heard  it  said  that  in  Saxony,  if  I  mistake 
not,  there  were  about  eighteen  hundred  parishes.  If 
that  is  true,  and  if  with  each  parish  two  persons,  a 
pastor  and  a  sexton,  are  connected  (not  counting  the 
preachers,  chaplains,  assistants,  and  teachers  in  the 
cities),  it  follows  that  about  four  thousand  learned  per- 
sons belong  to  such  a  principality,  of  whom  one-third 
die  in  ten  years.  Now  I  would  wager  that  there  are 
not  four  thousand  students  in  the  half  of  Germany. 
I  venture  the  assertion  also  that  there  are  scarcely 
eight  hundred  pastors  in  Saxony; — how  many  must  be 
wanting  in  all  Germany? 

I  should  like  to  know  where  in  three  years  we  are 
to  get  pastors,  teachers,  and  sextons?  If  we  remain 
idle,  and  if  the  princes  in  particular  do  not  see  to  it 


t 

DUTY  OF  SENDING  CHILDREN  TO  SCHOOL.    239 

that  both  preparatory  schools  and  universities  are 
properly  maintained,  there  will  be  such  a  want  of  edu- 
cated persons,  that  three  or  four  cities  will  have  to  be 
assigned  to  one  pastor,  and  ten  villages  to  one  chap- 
lain, if  perchance  the  ministers  can  be  found  at  all. 

It  is  sad  to  see  how  the  universities  of  Erfurt,  Leip- 

» 

sic,  and  others,  as  well  as  the  preparatory  schools,  are 
deserted,  so  that  little  Wittenberg  almost  alone  is  do- 
ing its  best.  This  same  want,  I  imagine,  will  be  felt 
also  by  the  chapters  and  monasteries,  who  will  not 
continue  to  boast  as  they  have  begun.  Hence  you 
can  send  your  son  to  school  with  full  assurance  that 
men  will  be  wanting  rather  than  means;  and  per- 
chance, if  the  world  lasts  and  God  graciously  influ- 
ences princes  and  cities  to  act,  the  property  of  chap- 
ters and  cloisters  may  be  applied  to  this-purpose,  for 
which  it  was  originally  designed.  And  why  care  so 
much  for  the  body?  There  stands  Christ  and  says, 
Matt.  vi.  31,  33:  "Take  no  thought,  saying,  what 
shall  we  eat?  or,  what  shall  we  drink?  or,  wherewithal 
shall  we  be  clothed?  For  your  heavenly  Father 
knoweth  that  ye  have  need  of  all  these  things.  But 
seek  ye  first  the  kingdom  of  God  and  his  righteous- 
ness, and  all  these  things  shall  be  added  unto  you." 
Whoever  does  not  believe  that,  let  him  take  anxious 
thought,  and  yet  die  of  hunger. 


240  LUTHER   ON   EDUCATION. 

Though  it  is  true  that  some  years  ago  many  pas- 
tors suffered  hunger  and  destitution,  the  reason  is  to 
be  found  in  the  great  commotion  prevailing  in  the 
world,  so  that  people  became  wicked,  ungrateful,  and 
avaricious,  and  persecuted  the  Gospel.  It  was  thus 
that  God  tried  us,  in  order  to  see  if  we  were  sincere"; 
and  we  are  not  to  regard  this  trial  otherwise  than  in 
the  days  of  the  martyrs,  when  pious  teachers  suffered 
great  poverty  and  want,  as  St.  Paul  himself  boasts. 
And  Christ  also  predicted,  Matt.  ix.  15  :  "  When  the 
bridegroom  shall  be  taken  from  them,  then  shall  they 
fast."  That  is  true,  evangelical  fasting. 

God's  Word  has  seldom  appeared  without  being 
attended  with  scarcity  or  famine,  as  in  the  days  of 
Abraham,  Isaac,  Jacob,  Joseph,  Elijah,  Elisha;  and  in 
the  early  days  of  the  Gospel,  there  was  a  "  great 
dearth  throughout  all  the  world."  (Acts  xi.  28).  And 
the  blame  is  ascribed  to  the  precious  Gospel  and  the 
Word  of  God,  and  not  to  the  past  sins  and  present 
obdurate  ingratitude  of  men.  Thus  the  Jews  attri- 
buted all  their  misfortune  to  the  teaching  of  Jeremiah 
(Jer.  xliv.  16-19).  And  the  Romans,  when  they  were 
overthrown  by  the  Goths,  ascribed  their  defeat  to  the 
fact  that  they  had  become  Christians,  against  which 
error  St.  Augustine  wrote  a  great  book,  "  De  Civi- 
tate  Dei." 


DUTY   OF   SENDING    CHILDREN   TO    SCHOOL.         24! 

But  say  what  we  will,  the  world  is  the  world:  as 
those  became  deceivers  and  perished,  so  shall  also 
these  become  deceivers  and  perish,  that  Christ  and  His 
word  may  remain.     He  sits  exalted  and  immovable,  as 
it  is  written:  "The  Lord  said  unto  my  Lord,  sit  thou 
on  my  right  hand."    He  can  not  be  moved;  and  so  long; 
as  He  remains,  we  shall  remain  also.     And  in  a  word, . 
it  would  be  as  easy  for  your  son  to  secure  a  supporti 
from  the  ministry  as  from  a  trade,  if  property  is  what 
you  are  after,  in  order  to  make  a  great  lord  of  youi 
son  in  the  eyes  of  the  world,  like  the  bishops  and/ 
canons.     But  if  you  are  thus  minded,  this  discourse  is 
not  addressed  to  you. 

I  speak  to  the  believing,  who  honor  the  ministerial 
office,  and  esteem  it  far  above  wealth  as,  next  to  God 
himself,  the  best  treasure  given  to  men,  in  order  that 
they  may  know  what  a  great  service  they  render  God, 
when  they  prefer  this  work  with  little  pay  to  the 
world's  riches  without  it.  They  will  not  fail  to  recog- 
nize that  the  soul  is  more  than  the  body,  and  that  the 
body  may  be  easily  provided  for,  all  superfluities 
being  left  behind  at  death.  But  those  who  seek  true 
riches  will  take  their  treasure  with  them,  which  is  far 
better.  So  much  for  a  brief  and  hasty  consideration 
of  the  benefit  and  the  injury  resulting  from  a  mainte- 
nance or  a  neglect  of  the  schools. 


242  LUTHER    ON    EDUCATION. 

PART    SECOND. 

The  Temporal  Benefit  or  Injury  arising  from  the  Sup- 
port or  the  Neglect  of  Schools. 

The  second  part  of  this  discourse  will  be  devoted  to 
the  temporal  or  secular  benefit  and  injury  resulting 
from  a  support  or  a  neglect  of  schools.  In  the  first 
place,  it  is  true  that  secular  authority  or  station  is  in 
no  way  comparable  to  the  spiritual  office  of  the  minis- 
try, as  St.  Paul  calls  it;  for  it  is  not  so  dearly  pur- 
chased through  the  blood  and  death  of  the  Son  of 
God.  It  can  not  perform  such  great  works  and  mir- 
acles as  the  ministerial  office ;  for  all  the  works  of 
secular  authority  belong  only  to  this  temporal  and 
transitory  existence,  such  as  caring  for  body,  wife,  child, 
house,  goods,  and  honor,  and  whatever  else  pertains 
to  the  needs  of  the  present  life.  As  far  then  as  eternal 
life  surpasses  temporal  life,  so  far  does  the  ministerial 
office  surpass  secular  office;  the* one  is  the  substance, 
the  other  is  the  shadow.  For  secular  authority  is  an 
image,  shadow,  or  figure  of  the  authority  of  Christ; 
for  the  ministerial  office,  (where  it  exists  as  God  or- 
dained it,)  brings  and  imparts  eternal  righteousness, 
eternal  peace,  and  eternal  life,  as  St.  Paul  declares  in 
the  fourth  chapter  of  2  Corinthians.  But  secular 
government  maintains  temporal  and  transitory  peace, 
law,  and  life. 


DUTY    OF   SENDING    CHILDREN    TO    SCHOOL.         243 

But  it  is  still  a  beautiful  and  divine  ordinance,  an 
excellent  gift  of  God,  who  ordained  it,  and  who  wishes 
to  have  it  maintained  as  indispensable  to  human  wel- 
fare; without  it  men  could  not  live  together  in  society, 
but  would  devour  one  another  like  the  irrational  ani- 
mals." Therefore,  as  it  is  the  function  and  honor  of  the 
ministerial  office  to  make  saints  out  of  sinners,  to  re- 
store the  dead  to  life,  to  confer  blessedness  upon  the 
lost,  to  change  the  servants  of  the  devil  into  children 
of  God :  so  it  is  the  function  and  honor  of  civil 
government  to  make  men  out  of  wild  animals,  and  to 
restrain  them  from  degenerating  into  brutes.  It  pro- 
tects every  one  in  body,  so  that  he  may  not  be  injured; 
it  protects  every  one  in  family,  so  that  the  members 
may  not  be  wronged;  it  protects  every  one  in  house, 
lands,  cattle,  property,  so  that  they  may  not  be 
attacked,  injured,  or  stolen. 

This  state  of  things  does  not  exist  among. the  lower 
animals,  and  it  would  not  prevail  among  men,  if  it 
were  not  for  civil  government.  If  the  birds  and  beasts 
could  speak,  and  should  consider  the  civil  regulations 
of  men,  do  you  not  suppose  that  they  would  say :  "  O 
ye  men,  in  comparison  with  us  ye  are  gods !  In  what 
security  ye  live  and  possess  all  things !  'But  we  are 
not  secure  against  one  another  for  an  hour  in  life, 
home  or  food.  Woe  to  your  ingratitude,  that  ye  do 


244  LUTHER   ON    EDUCATION. 

not  perceive  what  an  excellent  gift  the  God  of  us  all 
has  bestowed  upon  you!" 

Since  then  it  is  certain  that  civil  government  is  a 
divine  ordinance,  an  office  and  institution  necessary  for 
men  in  the  present  life,  it  is  easy  to  see  that  God  does 
not  design  that  it  should  perish,  but  that  it  should 
continue  for  the  protection  of  the  righteous  and  the 
punishment  of  the  wicked,  as  is  clearly  taught  in 
Romans  xiii.  4  and  I  Peter  ii.  13.  But  who  will 
maintain  it  except  us  men  to  whom  God  has  commit- 
ted it?  Wild  animals  will  not  do  it,  wood  and  stone 
will  not;  but  what  men  can  maintain  it?  Certainly 
not  those  who  rule  by  club-law  alone,  as  many  now 
think.  For  where  club-law  alone  prevails,  will  surely 
be  found  at  last  a  brutal  condition  of  society,  the 
strong  tyrannizing  over  the  weak.  We  have  examples 
enough  before  our  eyes  to  show  us  what  sheer  physi- 
cal force,  without  wisdom  or  reason,  would  do. 

Hence  Solomon  says  in  Proverbs  viii.  14,  15,  that 
wisdom  must  rule,  and  not  force,  testifying  of  the  for- 
mer: "Counsel  is  mine  and  sound  wisdom;  I  am  un- 
derstanding; I  have  strength.  By  me  kings  reign, 
and  princes  decree  justice."  And  in  Ecclesiastes  ix. 
1 6,  1 8,  he  says:  "  Wisdom  is  better  than  strength. 
Wisdom  is  better  than  weapons  of  war."  All  history 
shows  that  mere  force,  without  reason  or  wisdom,  can 


DUTY    OF   SENDING   CHILDREN   TO   SCHOOL.         24$ 

never  accomplish  anything;  and  even  tyrants  and 
murderers,  unless  they  wisely  cloak  their  tyranny 
under  the  forms  of  law  and  right,  can  not  long  con- 
tinue in  authority,  but  soon  disagree  and  perish  by 
one  another's  hand.  In  a  word,  not  club-law  but  jus- 
tice, not  force  but  wisdom  and  reason,  must  govern 
among  the  wicked  as  well  as  among  the  good. 
^Accordingly,  since  our  government  in  the  German 
states  is  based  on  the  imperial  law  of  Rome,  which 
embodies  the  wisdom  and  reason  of  our  government, 
it  follows  that  such  a  government  can  not  be  main- 
tained, unless  these  laws  are  upheld.  Now  who  will 
uphold  them?  Club-law  and  force  will  not  do  it;  it 
must  be  done  by  means  of  knowledge  and  books; 
men  must  learn  and  understand  the  law  and  wisdom 
of  our  empire.  Although  it  is  an  excellent  thing 
when  an  emperor,  prince  or  lord  is  wise  and  judicious 
by  nature,  so  that  he  can  administer  justice  without 
external  aids,  as  could  Frederick,  Duke  of  Saxony, 
and  Fabian  von  Feilitz  (not  to  speak  of  the  living); 
yet  such  rulers  are  rare,  and  their  example  is  dan- 
gerous, so  that  it  is  always  better  to  adhere  to  the 
written  law,  which  carries  with  it  authority,  and  serves 
as  a  safeguard  against  arbitrary  action. 

Now  in  civil  government  it  is  the  jurists  and  schol- 
ars who  uphold  this  law,  and  thereby  maintain  secular 


246  LUTHER   ON    EDUCATION. 

authority;  and  just  as  a  pious  theologian  or  sincere 
preacher  in  the  kingdom  of  Christ  is  called  a  messen- 
ger of  God,  a  saviour,  prophet,  priest,  steward  and 
teacher  (as  was  said  above),  in  like  manner  a  pious 
jurist  or  a  faithful  scholar  in  the  government  of  the 
emperor  might  be  called  a  prophet,  priest,  messen- 
ger, and  saviour.  On  the  other  hand,  just  as  a  hereric 
or  hypocritical  minister  in  the  kingdom  of  Christ  is  a 
devil,  thief,  murderer,  blasphemer;  in  the  same  way  a 
corrupt  and  unfaithful  jurist  in  the  government  of  the 
emperor  is  a  thief,  rogue,  traitor,  devil. 

^  When  I  speak  of  jurists,  I  do  not  mean  the  doctors 
alone,  but  the  whole  body  of  civil  officers — chancellors, 
secretaries,  judges,  advocates,  notaries,  and  whatever 
else  belongs  to  the  civil  administration,  even  the  great 
crowd  of  advisers,  as  they  are  called,  at  court ;  for  they 
exercise  the  functions  of  law  and  of  jurists.  And 
since  an  adviser  through  evil  advice  can  easily  become 
a  traitor,  it  sometimes  happens  that  under  the  form  of 
friendly  counsel  sovereigns  are  basely  betrayed. 

You  now  see  of  what  use  an  upright  jurist  can  be; 
yea,  who  can  fully  set  it  forth  ?  For  whatever  is 
God's  ordinance  and  work,  bears  so  much  fruit  that  it 
can  not  be  told  or  comprehended.  First  of  all,  such 
a  jurist  maintains  and  furthers  with  his  legal  knowl- 
edge (through  divine  institution)  the  whole  structure 


DUTY    OF    SENU1NG    CHILDREN    TO   SCHOOL.         247 

of  civil  government — emperors,  princes,  lords,  cities, 
states,  people  (as  before  stated),  for  all  must  be  upheld 
through  wisdom  and  justice.  But  who  can  sufficiently 
praise  this  work  alone  ?  It  gives  you  protection  of 
body  and  life  against  neighbors,  enemies,  murderers; 
protection  also  of  wife,  daughters,  sons,  house,  ser- 
vants, money,  property,  lands,  and  whatever  you  pos- 
sess; for  it  is  all  comprehended,  secured,  and  hedged 
about  by  law.  How  great  a  blessing  that  is,  can  not 

be  told.     Who  can  express  the  immeasurable  benefits 

•— » 
of  peace?     How  much  it  gives  and  saves  every  year!, 

Such  great  works  can  your  son  do,  and  such  a 
useful  person  can  he  become,  if  you  direct  him  to  the 
civil  service  and  send  him  to  school ;  and  if  you  can 
become  a  sharer  in  this  honor,  and  make  such  good 
use  of  your  money,  ought  it  not  to  be  a  great  pleasure 
and  glory  to  you  ?  Think  of  your  son  as  a  messenger 
in  jthe  empire,  an  apostle  of  the  emperor,  a  corner- 
stone and  foundation  of  temporal  peace  on  earth! 
Knowing,  too,  that  God  looks  upon  the  service  in  this 
light,  as  indeed  it  deserves  to  be !  For  though  we 
can  not  be  justified  arid  secure  salvation  by  such  works, 
it  is  still  a  joyful  comfort  that  these  works  are  well- 
pleasing  to  God,  especially  when  such  a  man  is  a 
believer  and  a  member  of  Christ's  kingdom ;  for  in 
that  way  we  thank  him  for  his  benefits,  and  bring  him 
the  best  thank-offering  and  the  highest  service. 


248  LUTHER    ON    EDUCATION. 

You  must  indeed  be  an  insensible  and  ungratefut 
creature,  fit  to  be  ranked  among  the  brutes,  if  you  see 
that  your  son  may  become  a  man  to  help  the  emperor 
maintain  his  dominions,  sword,  and  crown — to  help  the 
prince  govern  his  land,  to  counsel  cities  and  states,  to 
help  protect  for  every  man  his  body,  wife,  child,  prop- 
erty, and  honor — and  yet  will  not  do  so  much  as  to 
send  him  to  school  and  prepare  him  for  this  work! 
Tell  me,  what  are  all  the  chapters  and  cloisters  doing 
in  comparison  with  this?  I  would  not  give  the  work 
of  a  faithful,  upright  jurist  and  secretary  for  the  right- 
eousness of  all  the  monks,  priests,  and  nuns  at  their 
best.  And  if  such  great  good  works  do  not  move 
you,  the  honor  and  desire  of  God  alone  should  move 
you,  since  you  know  that  you  thereby  express  your 
gratitude  to  God,  and  render  Him  a  service  of  surpass- 
ing excellence,  as  has  been  said.  It  is  a  shameful 
contempt  of  God  that  you  do  not  bring  up  your  chil- 
dren to  such  an  excellent  and  divinely  appointed 
*  calling,  and  that  you  strengthen  them  only  in  the 
service  of  appetite  and  avarice,  teaching  them  nothing 
but  to  provide  for  the  stomach,  like  a  hog  with  its 
nose  always  in  filth,  and  do  not  bring  them  up  to  this 
worthy  station  and  office.  You  must  either  be  in- 
sensible creatures,  or  else  you  do  not  love  your  chil- 
dren. 


DUTY   OF   SENDING    CHILDREN    TO    SCHOOL.         249 

But  hearken  further:  how  if  God  demands  your 
child  for  such  office?  For  you  are  under  obligation 
to  help  maintain  civil  order  if  you  can.  Now,  beyond 
all  doubt,  it  can  not  be  maintained  if  people  do  not 
have  their  children  instructed;  and  since  more  wisdom 
is  required  in  civil  office  than  in  the  ministry,  it  will 
be  necessary  to  set  apart  for  it  the  brightest  boys. 
For  in  the  ministry  Christ  works  by  His  Spirit;  but  in 
civil  government  men  must  be  guided  by  reason 
(which  is  the  source  of  human  laws):  for  God  has 
placed  secular  government  and  our  physical  state 
under  the  control  of  reason  (Gen.  ii.  19),  and  has  not 
sent  the  Holy  Spirit  for  that  purpose.  Hence  the 
functions  of  civil  office  are  more  difficult  than  those  of 
the  ministry,  since  the  conscience  can  not  rule,  but 
must  act,  so  to  speak,  in  the  dark. 
^  If  now  you  have  a  son  capable  of  learning ;  if  you 
can  send  him  to  school,  but  do  not  do  it  and  go  your 
way  asking  nothing  about  temporal  government,  law, 
peace,  and  so  on;  you  are,  to  the  extent  of  your 
ability,  opposing  civil  authority  like  the  Turk,  yea, 
like  the  devil  himself.  For  you  withhold  from  the 
empire,  principality,  state,  city,  a  saviour,  comforter, 
corner-stone,  helper;  and  so  far  as  you  are  concerned, 
the  emperor  loses  both  his  sword  and  crown,  the 

state  loses   protection  and   peace,  and  it  is  through 
11* 


25O  LUTHER   ON    EDUCATION. 

your  fault  (as  much  as  lies  in  you)  that  no  man  can 
hold  in  security  his  body,  wife,  child,  house,  property. 
On  the  contrary,  you  freely  offer  them  all  upon  a 
butcher's  block,  and  give  occasion  for  men  to  degene- 
rate into  brutes,  and  at  last  to  devour  one  another. 
All  this  you  certainly  do,  especially  if  you  on  purpose 
withdraw  your  child  from  such  a  salutary  station  out 
of  regard  for  his  physical  wants.  Are  you  not  a 
pretty  and  useful  man  in  society!  You  daily  enjoy 
the  benefits  of  the  government,  and  then  as  a  return 
rob  it  of  your  son,  dedicating  him  to  avarice,  and  thus 
strive  with  all  your  might  not  to  maintain  government, 
law,  and  peace,  but  to  destroy  social  order,  though 
you  possess  and  hold  your  body,  life,  property,  and 
honor,  through  secular  authority. 

What  do  you  think  you  deserve?  Are  you  even 
worthy  to  dwell  among  men?  What  will  God  say, 
who  has  given  you  child  and  property  that  you  might 
honor  Him  therewith,  and  consecrate  your  child  to  His 
service?  Is  it  not  serving  God,  if  we  help  to  main- 
tain His  ordinance  of  civil  government?  Now  you 
neglect  such  service,  as  if  it  did  not  concern  you,  or  as 
if  you  above  all  men  were  free  and  not  bound  to  serve 
God;  and  you  presume  to  do  with  your  child  what 
you  please,  even  though  the  temporal  and  the  spirit- 
ual kingdom  of  God  perish;  and  at  the  same  time 


DUTY   OF   SENDING   CHILDREN    TO   SCHOOL.         2$  I 

you  enjoy  the  protection,  peace,  and  law  of  the  empire, 
and  allow  the  ministry  and  Word  of  God  to  serve  you, 
so  that  God  becomes  your  servant:  and  yet  you  abuse 
all  these  benefits  to  turn  your  son  from  him,  and  to 
teach  him  the  service  of  Mammon. 

Do  you  not  think  God  will  pronounce  such  a  judg- 
ment on  your  worldliness  that  you  will  perish  with 
your  children  and  property?  Rather,  is  not  your 
heart  affrighted  at  the  horror  of  your  idolatry,  at  your 
contempt  of  God,  your  ingratitude,  your  destruction 
of  the  civil  and  religious  ordinances  of  God,  yea,  at 
the  injury  you  do  all  men?  Well,  I  have  declared 
unto  you  both  the  benefit  and  the  injury  you  can  do; 
and  do  which  you  will,  God  will  surely  repay  you. 

I  will  not  here  speak  of  the  pleasure  a  scholar  has, 
apart  from  any  office,  in  that  he  can  read  at  home  all 
kinds  of  books,  talk  and  associate  with  learned  men, 
and  travel  and  transact  business  in  foreign  lands. 
For  this  pleasure  perhaps  will  move  but  few;  but 
since  you  are  seeking  Mammon  and  worldly  posses- 
sions, consider  what  great  opportunities  God  has  pro- 
vided for  schools  and  scholars;  so  that  you  need  not 
despise  learning  from  fear  of  poverty.  Behold,  em- 
perors and  kings  must  have  chancellors,  secretaries, 
counsellors,  jurists  and  scholars  ;  there  is  not  a  prince 
but  must  have  chancellors,  jurists,  counsellors,  schol- 


252  LUTHER   ON    EDUCATION. 

ars,  and  secretaries;  likewise  counts,  lords,  cities, 
states,  castles,  must  have  councils,  secretaries,  and 
other  learned  men;  there  is  not  a  nobleman  but  must 
have  a  secretary.  And  to  speak  of  ordinary  scholars, 
where  are  the  miners,  merchants,  and  artisans?  At 
the  end  of  three  years  where  are  we  to  find  educated 
men,  when  the  want  has  already  begun  to  be  felt  ?  It 
looks  as  if  kings  would  have  to  become  jurists, 
princes  chancellors,  counts  and  lords  secretaries,  and 
mayors  sextons. 

If  we  do  not  soon  begin  to  do  something,  we  shall 
become  Tartars  and  Turks,  and  ignoramuses  will 
again  be  doctors  and  counsellors  at  court.  Therefore 
I  hold  that  there  never  was  a  better  time  for  study 
than  the  present,  not  only  because  learning  is  so 
accessible  and  cheap,  but  also  because  great  wealth 
and  honor  must  follow ;  for  those  who  study  at  this 
time  will  become  such  valuable  people  that  two 
princes  and  three  cities  will  contend  for  one  scholar. 
If  you  look  about  you,  you  will  find  innumerable 
offices  that  will  need  learned  men  in  less  than  ten 
years,  and  yet  but  few  young  people  are  being  edu- 
cated for  them. 

There  is  further  a  divine  blessing  attached  to  this 
sphere  of  activity;  for  God  is  pleased  with  the  many 
excellent  and  useful  works  that  belong  to  the  secular 


DUTY    OF   SENDING    CHILDREN   TO    SCHOOL.         2$ 3 

condition,  and  that  .constitute  a  divine  service.  But 
avarice  in  seeking  its  end  meets  with  contempt  (even 
though  its  works  be  not  sinful);  evil  deeds  destroy 
all  peace  of  mind,  and  such  a  life  can  not  be  called  a 
service  of  God.  Now  I  would  rather  earn  ten  florins 
with  a  work  that  might  properly  be  called  a  service  of 
God,  than  a  thousand  florins  with  a  work  that  could 
not  be  called  a  service  of  God,  but  a  service  of  self 
and  Mammon. 

In  addition  to  this,  there  is  worldly  honor.  For 
chancellors,  scribes,  jurists,  and  the  people  through 
them,  occupy  upper  seats,  help,  advise  and  govern  as 
said  above,  and  in  fact  they  here  become  lords  on 
earth,  though  in  person,  birth,  and  station  they  are 
not  so  regarded.  For  Daniel  says  that  he  did  the 
king's  work.  And  it  is  true  that  a  chancellor  must 
perform  imperial,  kingly,  princely  functions  and  duties, 
a  city  scribe  must  do  the  work  of  the  council  and  city, 
and  that  all  with  honor  and  the  blessing  of  God, 
which  gives  happiness  and  salvation. 

When  they  are  not  engaged  in  war  but  govern  by 
law,  what  are  emperors,  kings,  princes,  (if  we  speak 
according  to  their  work,)  but  mere  scribes  and  jurists? 
For  they  concern  themselves  about  the  law,  which  is 
a  legal  and  clerical  work.  And  who  governs  the  land 
and  people  in  times  of  peace  ?  Is  it  the  knights  and 


254  LUTHER   ON    EDUCATION. 

captains?  I  think  it  is  the  pen  of  the  scribe.  Mean- 
while, what  is  avarice  doing  with  its  worship  of  Mam- 
mon? It  can  not  come  to  such  honor,  and  defiles  its 
devotees  with  its  rust-covered  treasures. 

Thus  the  emperor  Justinian  declares  that  "imperial 
majesty  ought  not  only  to  be  adorned  with  arms,  but 
.  also  to  be  armed  with  laws."  Observe  the  peculiar 
phraseology  this  emperor  uses,  when  he  calls  the  laws 
his  weapons,  and  weapons  his  adornment,  and  changes 
his  scribes  into  cuirassiers  and  warriors.  And  he 
spoke  well ;  for  the  laws  are  truly  the  right  armor  and 
weapons  with  which  to  protect  the  country  and 
people,  yea,  the  empire  and  government,  (as  has  been 
sufficiently  shown  above,)  so  that  wisdom  is  better 
than  might.  And  pious  jurists  are  the  real  warriors 
that  preserve  the  emperor  and  princes.  How  many 
passages,  if  time  permitted,  might  be  given  from  the 
poets  and  the  historians!  Solomon  himself  in  Eccle- 
sisastes  ix.  1 5  declares  that  a  poor  man  by  his  wisdom 
saved  a  city  from  a  powerful  king. 

Not  that  I  would  have  soldiers,  knights,  and  what- 
ever else  belongs  to  warfare,  despised  and  repudiated ; 
they  also  help  (where  they  are  obedient)  to  maintain 
peace  and  protect  the  land  by  force.  Every  thing  has 
its  honor  before  God,  and  its  station  and  work. 

I  must  also  praise  my  craft,  though  I  should  be  cen- 


DUTY   OF   SENDING    CHILDREN    TO    SCHOOL.         255 

sured;  just  as  St.  Paul  constantly  praised  his  office,  so 
that  many  thought  he  went  too  far  and  was  proud. 
Whoever  wishes  to  praise  and  honor  soldiers,  can  find 
ground  enough  to  do  so,  as  I  have  elsewhere  shown 
in  strong  terms.  For  I  do  not  like  those  jurists  and 
scribblers  who  have  so  high  an  opinion  of  themselves 
that  they  despise  or  mock  other  callings,  as  the  ex- 
tortionate priests  and  other  adherents  of  the  Papacy 
have  hjtherto  done. 

We  should  duly  praise  all  the  offices  and  works 
ordained  of  God,  and  not  despise  one  for  the  sake  of 
another;  for  it  is  written,  "  His  work  is  honorable  and 
glorious"  (Ps.  iiu  3).  And  again,  Psalm  civ.  24: 
"O  Lord,  how  manifold  are  thy  works!  in  wisdom 
hast  thou  made  them  all."  And  especially  should 
preachers  constantly  inculcate  such  thoughts  upon  the 
people,  school-teachers  likewise  upon  their  pupils, 
and  parents  upon  their  children,  that  these  may  learn 
what  stations  and  offices  are  ordained  of  God.  When 
they  come  to  understand  this,  they  should  not  despise, 
mock,  or  speak  evil  of  them,  but  honor  and  esteem 
them.  That  is  pleasing  to  God,  and  contributes  to 
peace  and  unity;  for  God  is  a  great  Lord,  and  has 
many  servants. 

On  the  contrary,  we  find  some  conceited  soldiers 
"that  fancy  the  name  scribe  is  not  worthy  to  be  men- 


256  LUTHER   ON   EDUCATION. 

tioned  or  heard  by  them.  Well,  pay  no  attention  to  it, 
but  consider  that  these  poor  fellows  must  have  some 
kind  of  pastime  and  pleasure.  Let  them  make  the 
most  out  of  this;  but  you  still  remain  a  scribe  in  the 
eyes  of  God  and  the  world.  If  they  come  together  for 
any  length  of  time,  you  see  that  they  bestow  the  highest 
honor  upon  the  quill,  placing  a  feather  on  hat  or  hel- 
met, as  if  they  confessed  by  that  act  that  the  pen  is  the 
most  excellent  thing  in  the  world,  without  which  they 
would  not  be  equipped  for  combat,  nor  for  parade  in 
times  of  peace,  much  less  assemble  in  security;  for 
they  must  also  profit  by  the  peace  which  the  em- 
peror's preachers  and  teachers  (the  jurists)  maintain-. 
Therefore,  as  you  see,  they  give  the  place  of  honor  to 
the  instrument  of  our  craft  (and  properly),  since  they 
gird  the  sword  about  the  loins;  there  it  hangs  hand- 
somely for  their  purpose :  on  the  head  it  would  not  be 
becoming — there  the  feather  must  wave.  If  they  have 
sinned  against  you,  they  have  thus  made  atonement 
and  should  be  forgiven. 

The  work  of  the  scholar,  as  I  have  shown,  is  not 
appreciated  by  many  ignoramuses;  for  they  do  not 
know  that  it  is  a  divine  office  and  function,  nor  con- 
sider how  necessary  and  useful  it  is  to  the  world. 
But  let  them  go,  and  look  about  you  for  wise  and 
pious  noblemen,  as  Duke  George  of  Werdheim,  Hans 


DUTY   OF  SENDING   CHILDREN   TO   SCHOOL. 

von  Schwartzenberg,  George  von  Fronsberg,  and 
others  of  blessed  memory,  (I  shall  not  speak  of  the 
living,)  and  comfort  yourself  in  them.  Consider  that 
God,  for  the  sake  of  one  man,  Lot,  honored  the  whole 
city  of  Zoar;  for  the  sake  of  Naaman,  the  whole  land 
of  Syria;  and  for  the  sake  of  Joseph,  the  whole  king- 
dom of  Egypt;  and  why  should  not  you,  for  the  sake 
of  many  worthy  men,  honor  all  the  nobility?  Think 
rather  of  the  good  than  of  the  bad.  Do  not -condemn 
the  tree,  because  perchance  some  of  its  fruit  falls  un- 
timely'or  becomes  a*  prey  to  worms. 

Thus  do  the  children  of  God.  For  God  spares  the 
whole  human  race  for  the  sake  of  one  man,  who  is 
called  Jesus  Christ.  If  he  were  to  look  on  mankind 
alone,  there  could  be  nothing  but  anger.  Yet  the 
ministry  and  the  civil  authorities  are  necessarily  re- 
quired to  pay  attention  to  evil,  for  they  should  punish 
the  wicked;  some  by  reproof,  and  some  by  the  sword. 
But  we  should  learn  to  distinguish  between  what  is 
God's  work  and  what  is  man's  wickedness.  In  all 
divine  offices  and  stations  there  are  many  wicked 
men;  but  the  office  still  remains  good,  however  much 
men  may  abuse  it.  We  find,  for  example,  many  bad 
women,  dishonest  servants,  and  injurious  officers  and 
counsellors;  and  yet  all  these  relations  and  conditions 
are  the  work  and  ordinance  of  God.  The  sun  remains 


258  LUTHER   ON    EDUCATION. 

good,  though  the  whole  world  abuse  its  light,  some  to 
rob,  some  to  murder,  and  some  to  work  other  evils. 
Who  could  do  evil  if  the  sun  did  not  give  light,  if  the 
earth  did  not  bring  forth  fruit,  if  the  air  did  not 
remain  pure,  and  if  God  did  not  thus  exercise  a  con- 
stant care?  It  is  written,  "  The  creature  was  made 
subject  to  vanity,  not  willingly,"  Rom.  viii.  2O. 

There  are  some  who  think  that  the  office  of  scribe 
is  an  easy,  insignificant  office,  but  that  to  ride  in 
armor  and  suffer  heat,  frost,  dust,  thirst,  and  other  dis- 
comforts, is  work.  Verily  that  is  an  old  story — no  one 
knows  where  the  shoe  pinches  another ;  every  one  feels 
only  his  own  discomfort,  and  looks  only  at  the  com- 
forts of  another.  It  is  true  that  it  would  be  hard  for 
me  to  ride  in  armor;  but  I  should  like  to  see  the 
knight  who  could  sit  still  the  whole  day  and  look  in  a 
book,  though  he  were  not  required  to  read,  think,  or 
do  any  thing.  Ask  a  chancery-clerk,  preacher, 
orator,  about  the  labor  of  writing  and  speaking;  ask  a 
school-master  about  the  labor  of  teaching  boys.  The 
pen  is  a  light  instrument,  it  is  true,  and  among  all  the 
trades  there  is  no  tool  more  easily  procured  than  the 
pen;  for  it  needs  only  a  goose-quill,  which  can  be 
found  anywhere.  But  the  best  part  of  the  body,  as 
the  head,  and  the  noblest  member,  as  the  tongue,  and 
the  highest  function,  as  speech,  must  here  bear  the 


DUTY  OF  SENDING  CHILDREN  TO  SCHOOL.    259 

brunt,  and  do  most  of  the  work,  while  in  other  occu- 
pations it  is  the  hands,  feet,  back  that  labor,  and  the 
workman  can  at  the  same  time  sing  and  joke,  which  a 
writer  must  forego.  Three  fingers  do  it,  (as  is  said  of 
writers,)  but  the  whole  body  and  soul  work  at  the 
same  time. 

When  the  ignoramuses  about  the  illustrious  emperor 
Maximilian  complained  that  he  employed  so  many 
scribes  for  embassies  and  other  similar  duties,  he  is 
said  to  have  replied:  "What  shall  I  do?  You  can 
not  be  employed,*  so  I  must  take  scribes."  And 
further:  "I  can  make  knights,  but  .not  doctors."  I 
have  heard  also  of  a  wise  nobleman  who  said:  "I  shall 
let  my  son  study;  there  is  no  great  art  in  straddling  a 
horse  and  becoming  a  knight, — a  thing  that  is  soon 
learned."  And  that  is  all  well  said. 

I  do  not  say  this  to  depreciate  the  knightly  order  or 
any  other,  but  to  rebuke  the  ignorant  fellows  who 
x-  despise  all  learning  and  culture,  and  praise  nothing 
but  wearing  armor  and  straddling  a  horse,  though 
they  are  seldom  obliged  to  do  it,  and  hence,  the  whole 
year  through,  have  comfort,  pleasure,  honor,  and 
money.  It  is  indeed  true  that  learning  is  light  to  carry, 
and  that  armor  is  heavy  to  carry;  but  on  the  other 
hand,  to  wear  armor  is  easily  learned,  but  an  educa- 
tion is  neither  quickly  acquired  nor  easily  employed. 


26O  LUTHER  ON   EDUCATION. 

But  to  make  an  end  of  this  matter,  God  is  a  wonder- 
ful sovereign,  and  it  is  his  plan  of  work  to  make  lords 
out  of  beggars,  as  he  made  the  heaven  and  earth  out 
of  nothing;  and  in  this  no  man  will  hinder  Him,  who 
is  praised  in  all  the  world,  as  the  H2th  Psalm  says: 
"  Who  is  like  unto  the  Lord  our  God,  who  dwelleth 
on  high,  who  humbleth  Himself  to  behold  the  things 
that  are  in  heaven  and  in  the  earth?  He  raiseth  up 
the  poor  out  of  the  dust,  and  lifteth  the  needy  out  of 
the  dunghill ;  that  He  may  set  him  with  princes,  even 
with  the  princes  of  His  people."  Look  at  all  the 
courts  of  kings  and  princes,  and  in  cities  and  pastor- 
ates, and  do  you  not  see  this  Psalm  fulfilled  by  many 
striking  examples?  You  will  there  find  jurists,  doctors, 
counselors,  scribes,  preachers,  who  struggled  with 
poverty  in  acquiring  an  education,  and  who  have  risen 
by  means  of  the  pen  to  the  position  of  lords,  as  this 
Psalm  says,  and  like  princes  they  help  to  govern  the 
land  and  people.  God  does  not  wish  that  those  who 
are  born  kings,  princes,  lords,  and  nobles  should  alone 
rule,,  but  He  desires  also  to  have  His  beggars  share  in 
the  government;  otherwise,  they  would  think  that 
noble  birth  alone  made  lords  and  rulers,  and  that  God 
had  nothing  to  do  with  it. 

It  is  true,  as  is  sometimes  said,  that  the  Pope  was  once 
a  student;  therefore  do  not  despise  the  boys  who  beg 


DUTY   OF  SENDING   CHILDREN  TO   SCHOOL.         26 1 

from  door  to  door  "a  little  bread  for  the  love  of  God,"* 
and  when  the  groups  of  poor  pupils  sing  before  your 
house,  remember  that  you  hear,  as  this  Psalm  says, 
great  princes  and  lords.  I  have  myself  been  such  a 
beggar  pupil,  and  have  eaten  bread  before  houses, 
especially  in  the  dear  town  of  Eisenach,  though  after- 
wards my  beloved  father  supported  me  at  the  Univer- 
sity of  Erfurt  with  all  love  and  self-sacrifice,  and  by 
the  sweat  of  his  face  helped  me  to  the  position  I  now 
occupy ;  but  still  I  was  for  a  time  a  poverty  student, 
and  according  to  this  Psalm  I  have  risen  by  the  pen 
to  a  position  which  I  would  not  exchange  for  that  of 
the  Turkish  sultan,  taking  his  wealth  and  giving  up 
my  learning.  Yea,  I  would  not  exchange  it  for  all 
the  wealth  of  the  world  many  times  multiplied;  and 
yet,  beyond  all  doubt,  I  should  not  have  attained  my 
present  station,  if  I  had  not  gone  to  school  and  learned 
to  write. 

Without  anxiety,  then,  let  your  son  study,  and  if  he 
should  have  to  beg  bread  for  a  time,  you  give  our  God 
material  out  of  which  he  can  make  a  lord.  It  will 
remain  true  that  your  son  and  mine,  that  is  to  say, 
the  children  of  the  common  people,  will  rule  the 
world,  both  in  spiritual  and  secular  stations,  as  this 
Psalm  testifies.  For  wealthy  worldlings  can  not  and 

*Panem  propter  Deum. 


262  LUTHER   ON   EDUCATION. 

will  not  do  it;  they  are  the  priests  and  monks  of 
Mammon,  upon  whom  they  are  obliged  to  wait  day 
and  night;  princes  and  lords  by  birth  can  not  do  it 
alone,  and  especially  are  they  unable  to  fill  the  spirit- 
ual office  of  the  ministry.  Thus  must  both  spiritual 
and  secular  government  continue  on  earth  in  the  hands 
of  the  common  people  and  their  children. 

And  pay  no  attention  to  the  contempt  which  the 
ordinary  devotee  of  Mammon  manifests  for  culture,  so 
that  he  says :  "  Well,  if  my  son  can  read,  write,  and 
cipher,  that  is  enough ;  for  I  am  going  to  make  a 
merchant  out  of  him  ?"  Without  scholars  it  would  not 
be  long  till  business  men  in  their  perplexity  would  be 
ready  to  dig  a  learned  man  out  of  the  ground  ten 
yards  deep  with  their  fingers;  for  the  merchant  will 
not  long  remain  a  merchant,  if  preaching  and  the 
administration  of  justice  cease.  I  know  full  well  that 
we  theologians  and  jurists  must  remain,  or  else  all 
other  vocations  will  inevitably  go  to  the  ground  with 
us;  where  theologians  perish,  there  perishes, also  the 
Word  of  God,  and  nothing  but  heathen  and  devils  are 
left;  when  jurists  perish,  there  perish  also  law  and 
peace,  and  nothing  remains  but  robbery,  murder, 
outrage,  and  force — the  reign  of  wild  beasts.  But 
what  the  merchant  will  gain  when  peace  vanishes,  I 
shall  let  his  ledger  tell  him ;  and  the  use  of  all  his 


DUTY   OF   SENDING    CHILDREN   TO    SCHOOL.         263 

property   when   preaching  ceases,  let  his  conscience 
show  him. 

It  is  a  ground  of  special  vexation  that  such  foolish 
and  unchristian  language  is   used  by  those  who  pre- 
tend to  be  evangelical,  and  who  know  how  to  beat 
down  every  opponent  with  Scripture;  and  yet,  at  the 
same  time,  they  do  not  bestow  honor  enough  upon' 
God  or  their  chidren  to  educate  them  for  these  divine 
and  exalted  offices,  through  which  they  could  serve  • 
their  Maker  and  the  world,,  and  in  which  their  tem- 
poral wants  would  be  provided  for.     On  the  contrary,, 
they  turn  their  children  away  from  these  callings,  and 
urge  them  to  the  service  of  Mammon,  in  which  their 
success  is  uncertain,  their  bodies  and  spuls  are  endan- 
gered, and  their  lives  can  in  no  way  be  considered  a 
service  of  God. 

I  should  mention  here  how  many  learned  men  are 
needed  in  medicine  and  the  other  professions,  in  refer- 
ence to  which  a  book  might  be  written,  and  six 
months  spent  in  preaching.  Where  would  our 
preachers,  jurists,  and  physicians  come  from,  if  the 
liberal  arts  were  not  taught?  It  is  from  this  source 
they  all  must  come.  But  to  speak  of  this  in  detail 
would  carry  me  too  far.  To  be  brief,  an  industrious, 
pious  school-master  or  teacher,  who  faithfully  trains 
and  educates  boys,  can  never  be  sufficiently  recom- 


264  LUTHER   ON   EDUCATION. 

pensed,  and  no  money  will  pay  him,  as  even  the 
heathen  Aristotle  says.  Yet  this  calling  is  shame- 
fully despised  among  us,  as  if  it  were  nothing — and  at 
the  same  time  we  pretend  to  be  Christians ! 

If  I  had  to  give  up  preaching  and  my  other  duties, 
there  is  no  office  I  would  rather  have  than  that  of 
school-teacher.  For  I  know  that  next  to  the  minis- 
try it  is  the  most  useful,  greatest,  and  best;  and  I  am 
not  sure  which  of  the  two  is  to  be  preferred.  For  it  is 
hard  to  make  old  dogs  docile  and  old  rogues  pious, 
yet  that  is  what  the  ministry  works  at,  and  must  work 
at,  in  great  part,  in  vain;  but  young  trees,  though 
some  may  break  in  the  process,  are  more  easily  bent 
and  trained.  Therefore  let  it  be  considered  one  of  the 
highest  virtues  on  earth  faithfully  to  train  the  children 
of  others,  which  duty  but  very  few  parents  attend  to 
themselves. 

That  physicians  in  a  sense  become  lords,  is  every- 
where apparent;  and  that  they  can  not  be  dispensed 
with,  is  taught  by  experience;  but  that  medicine  is  a 
useful,  comforting,  and  salutary  profession,  and  like- 
wise an  acceptable  and  divinely  appointed  service  of 
God,  appears,  not  only  from  the  work  itself,  but  also 
from  Scripture.  The  thirty-eighth  chapter  of  Eccles- 
iasticus  is  devoted  to  the  praise  of  physicians :  "  Honor 
a  physician  with  the  honor  due  unto  him  for  the  uses 


DUTY    OF   SENDING    CHILDREN   TO    SCHOOL.         265 

which  you  may  have  of  him ;  for  the  Lord  hath  cre- 
ated him.  For  of  the  Most  High  cometh  healing. 
The  Lord  hath  created  medicines  out  of  the  earth ; 
and  he  that  is  wise  will  not  abhor  them.  Was  not  the 
water  made  sweet  with  wood,  that  the  virtue  thereof 
might  be  known?  With  such  doth  He  heal  men, 
and  taketh  away  their  pains.  Of  such  doth  the 
apothecary  make  a  confection ;  and  of  his  works  there 
is  no  end,"  etc.  But  I  am  going  too  far ;  other 
preachers  may  develop  these  points  more  fully,  and 
show  the  people  better  than  I  can  write  it,  what  injury 
or  benefit  may  here  be  done  the  world  and  posterity. 
Here  I  will  leave  the  matter,  faithfully  admonishing 
and  beseeching  every  one  who  can  to  help.  For  con- 
sider how  many  blessings  God  has  bestowed  upon 
you,— body,  soul,  house,  wife,  child,  peace,  the  service 
and  use  of  all  His  creatures  in  heaven  and  in  earth — 
above  all  His  Gospel  and  ministry,  baptism,  the  Lord's 
Supper,  and  the  whole  treasure  of  His  Son  and  Spirit, 
not  only  without  any  merit  on  your  part,-  but  also 
without  cost  or  labor — and  all  bestowed  in  vain;  for 
you  support  neither  schools  nor  pastors,  though 
according  to  the  Gospel  you  are  under,  obligation  to 
do  so ;  and  besides,  you  show  yourselves  such  ac- 
cursed and  ungrateful  wretches  that  you  are  unwilling 
to  give  your  sons  to  be  educated  for  maintaining  these 

12 


266  LUTHER   ON    EDUCATION. 

gifts  of  God,  but  possess  every  thing  in  vain,  not 
manifesting  a  drop  of  gratitude,  but  on  the  contrary 
letting  the  kingdom  of  God  and  the  salvation  of  souls 
be  neglected,  to  their  destruction. 

Ought  not  God  to  be  angry?  Ought  not  famine  to 
come?  Ought  not  pestilence,  toil,  the  French,  and 
other  plagues,  to  find  us  out?  Ought  not  savage 
tyrants  to  reign?  Ought  not  war  and  strife  to  arise? 
Ought  not  bad  government  to  prevail  in  the  German 
states?  Ought  not  Turks  and  Tartars  to  plunder  us? 
Yea,  it  would  be  no  wonder  if  God  should  open,  the 
doors  and  windows  of  hell,  and  let  all  the  devils  loose 
upon  us,  or  if  He  should  rain  fire  and  brimstone  from 
heaven  and  sink  us  all  in  the  abyss  of  hell,  as  He  did 
Sodom  and  Gomorrah.  For  if  Sodom  and  Gomorrah 
had  possessed,  and  heard,  and  seenv  as  much  as  we 
have  been  blessed  with,  they  would  still  exist  at  the 
present  day.  For  they  were  ten  times  less  guilty  than 
Germany  is  now;  for  they  did  not  have  the  Word  of 
God  and  the  ministry  as  we  have  them — but  alas!  in 
vain,  since  we  act  as  if  we  wished  that  God,  His  Word, 
and  all  discipline  and  learning,  might  perish.  And 
indeed  factious  spirits  have  actually  begun  to  suppress 
God's  Word,  and  the  nobility  and  the  rich  are  work- 
ing to  overthrow  discipline  and  honor,  that  the  people 
may  suffer  as  they  have  deserved. 


DUTY  OF  SENDING  CHILDREN  TO  SCHOOL.    267 

To  have  the  Gospel  and  ministry,  what  else  is  it 
than  the  blood  of  our  Lord?  He  secured  it  and  pre- 
sented it  to  us  through  His  agonizing  death  on  the 
cross.  Yet  we  have  it  in  vain,  and  have  done  and 
given  nothing  for  it!  O  God,  how  bitterly  did  He 
suffer!  and  yet,  how  willingly!  How  much  have  the 
dear  apostles  and  all  the  saints  suffered  for  the  Gospel, 
that  it  might  be  transmitted  to  us !  How  many  in 
our  own  time  have  died  for  it! 

And,  to  boast  a  little,  how  often  have  I  been  obliged 
to  suffer  the  pains  of  death  for  the  Gospel,  that  I 
might  serve  the  German  people — but  my  suffering  is 
nothing  in  comparison  with  that  of  Christ,  the  Son  of 
God;  and  yet  He  recedes  nothing  further  from  our 
hands  than  that  some  persecute,  condemn,  and  blas- 
pheme this  dearly-bought  office;  while  others  refuse 
to  support  the  ministry,  and  give  nothing  to  maintain 
that  holy  office.  Moreover,  they  turn  their  children 
away  from  it,  that  the  office  may  soon  perish,  and  the 
sufferings  and  death  of  Christ  become  of  no  effect;  at 
the  same  time,  they  live  on  in  security,  feel  no  com- 

*  '  — 

punctions  of  conscience  for  their  more  than  diabolical 
ingratitude  and  utterly  inexpressible  sin,  exhibit  no 
fear  of  God's  wrath,  no  love  for  the  dear  Saviour  on 
account  of  His  bitter  sufferings,  and  yet,  after  such 
frightful  wickedness,  they  pretend  to  be  evangelical 
Christians! 


268  LUTHER    ON   EDUCATION. 

If  this  deplorable  blindness  and  sin  were  to  con- 
tinue in  the  German  states,  I  should  feel  sorry  that  I 
was  born  in  Germany  and  that  I  have  spoken  and 
written  German ;  and  if  I  could  conscientiously  do  it,  I 
would  advise  and  help  the  Pope  to  rule  over  us  again 
with  all  his  abominations,  and  to  oppress,  flay,  and 
destroy  us,  even  beyond  his  former  tyranny.  For- 
merly, when  the  devil  was  served,  and  Christ's  blood 
insulted,  every  purse  was  open,  and  there  was  no 
measure  to  the  contributions  made  to  churches, 
schools,  and  every  abomination;  then,  too,  people 
could  urge  and  force  their  children  into  cloisters, 
chapters,  churches,  schools,  with  unspeakable  cost — 
all  of  which  was  lost. 

But  now,  when  good  schools  and  evangelical 
churches  are  to  be  established,  nay,  not  established 
but  merely  maintained  (for  God  has  already  estab- 
lished them,  and  given  sufficient  means  for  their  sup- 
port), when  we  know  that  we  have  God's  Word,  that 
evangelical  churches  are  to  be  maintained,  that 
Christ's  sufferings  and  death  are  to  be  honored :  now 
all  purses  are  closed  with  iron  chains,  no  one  can  give, 
and  children  are  not  even  allowed  to  be  supported  by 
the  Church,  (where  nothing  is  to  be  given,)  and  they 
are  prevented  from  entering  such  salutary  offices,  in 
which  their  temporal  wants  would  be  provided  for, 


DUTY  OF  SENDING   CHILDREN   TO   SCHOOL.        269 

and  in  which  they  would  serve  God  and  honor  the 
blood  of  Christ ;  on  the  contrary,  they  are  pushed  into 
the  jaws  of  Mammon,  they  tread  the  blood  of  Ch'rist 
under  foot,  and  yet  pretend  to  be  Christians ! 

I  pray  God  to  take  me  away,  that  I  may  never  see 
the  sorrow  that  is  to  come  upon  Germany.  For  I 

believe  that  if  ten  men  like  Moses  stood  before  God 
«_ 

and  prayed  for  us,  it  would  be  of  no  avail ;  and  when  I 
pray  for  my  dear  Germany,  I  feel  that  my  prayer  re- 
bounds, and  does  not  ascend  to  heaven,  as  it  does  when 
I  pray  for  other  objects.  God  grant  that  I  may  be  a 
false  prophet !  These  disasters  might  be  averted,  if  we 
would  reform,  and  honor  the  Word  of  the  Lord  and 
the  death  of  Christ  as  we  have  not  hitherto  done,  and 
bring  up  the  young  to  fill  the  various  offices  instituted 
by  God. 

Buil  maintain  that  the  civil  authorities  are  under 
obligation  to  compel  the  people  to  send  their  children 
to  school,  especially  such  as  are  promising,  as  has  else- 
where been  said.  ]  For  our  rulers  are  certainly  bound 
to  maintain  the  spiritual  and  secular  offices  and  callings, 
so  that  there  may  always  be  preachers,  jurists,  pastors, 
scribes,  physicians,  school- masters,  and  the  like;  for 
these  can  not  be  dispensed  with.  I  If  the  government 
can  compel  such  citizens  as  are  fit  for  military  service 
to  bear  spear  and  rifle,  to  mount  ramparts,  and  per- 


2/O  LUTHER   ON    EDUCATION. 

form  other  martial  duties  in  time  of  war;  how  much 
more  has  it  a  right  to  compel  the  people  to  send  their 
children  to  school,  because  in  this  case  we  are  warring 
with  the  devil,  whose,object  it  is  secretly  to  exhaust 
our  cities  and  principalities  of  their  strong  men,  to 
destroy  the  kernel  and  leave  a  shell  of  ignorant  and 
helpless  people,  whom  he  can  sport  and  juggle  with  at 
pleasure.  That  is  starving  out  a  city  or  country,  de- 
stroying it  without  a  struggle,  and  without  its  knowl- 
edge.)The  Turk  does  differently,  and  takes  every 
third  child  in  his  empire  to  educate  for  whatever  he 
pleases.  How  much  more  should  our  rulers  require 
children  to  be  sent  to  school,  who,  however,  are  not 
taken  from  their  parents,  but  are  educated  for  their 
own  and  the  general  good,  in  an  office  where  they 
have  an  adequate  support 

Therefore,  let  hj.ni  who  can,  watch;  and  wherever 
the  government  sees  a  promising  boy,  let  him  be  sent 
to  school.  If  the  father  is  poor,  let  the  child  be  aided 
with  the  property  of  the  Church.  The  rich  should 
make  bequests  to  such  objects,  as  some  have  done, 
who  have  founded  scholarships ;  that  is  giving  money 
to  the  Church  in  a  proper  way.  You  do  not  thus  re- 
lease the  souls  of  the  dead  from  purgatorial  fire,  but 
you  help,  through  the  maintenance  of  divinely  ap- 
pointed offices,  to  prevent  the  living  from  going  to 


DUTY    OF   SENDING    CHILDREN    TO   SCHOOL. 

purgatory — yea,  you  secure  their  deliverance  from  hell 
and  entrance  into  heaven,  and  bestow  upon  them  tem- 
poral peace  and  happiness.  That  would  be  a  praise- 
worthy, Christian  bequest,  in  which  God  would  take 
pleasure,  and  for  which  He  would  honor  and  bless 
you,  that  you  might  have  joy  and  peace  in  Him. 
Now,  my  dear  Germans,  I  have  warned  you  enough; 
you  have  heard  your  prophet.  God  grant  that  we 
may  follow  His  Word,  to  the  praise  and  honor  of  our 
dear  Lord,  for  His  precious  blood  so  graciously  shed 
for  us,  and  preserve  us  from  the  horrible  sin  of  in- 
gratitude and  forgetfulness  of  His  benefits.  Amen. 


INDEX. 


Alexander  VI.,  character  of,  16. 

Ancient  languages,  156,  183,  184;  necessary  to  preserve  the 
gospel,  186;  helpful  to  ministers,  192;  advantageous  in 
ordinary  life,  235. 

Anselm,  on  method,  85. 

Aristotle,  Luther's  dislike  for,  102,  144 ;  estimate  of  teachers, 
264. 

Asceticism,  influence  of,  75. 

Augsburg  Confession,  on  civil  government,  63. 

Battle  hymn,  Luther's,  96. 

Bequests  to  education,  270. 

Bible,  practically  prohibited  by  the  Papacy,  44 ;  weapon  of  the 
Reformers,  56 ;  necessitates  popular  education,  61 ;  an 
instrument  of  culture,  62,  63 ;  difficulties  of  Luther  in 
translating,  no;  to  be  studied  in  schools,  147;  requi- 
sites for  teaching,  148  ;  in  what  languages  written,  185  ; 
to  be  studied,  not  in  commentaries,  but  in  the  original, 
189,  191. 

Bismarck  on  Papal  power,  35. 

Boniface  VIII.,  bull  Unam  Sanctum,  38. 

Book  of  Concord,  on  rule  of  faith,  55. 

Books,  what  kinds  to  be  collected  in  libraries,  207. 

Br6al,  Michel,  quoted,  62. 

Brethren  of  Common  Life,  85. 

Bull,  In  Ccena  Domini,  40. 

Carlyle,  on  Luther,  112. 

Catalogue,  prohibitory,  of  Roman  Catholic  Church,  44. 

Catechism,  Luther's,  68;  value  in  religious  instruction,  121; 
principal  parts  of,  121 ;  place  in  education,  148  ;  how  to 
be  used,  150. 

(2/3) 


2/4  INDEX. 

Celibacy,  why  rejected  by  the  Reformers,  57. 

Chaucer,  description  of  a  pardoner,  25. 

Children,  to  be  brought  up  for  God,  116,  222;  proper  rearing 
of,  a  religious  work,  117  ;  how  ruined  by  parents,  125  ; 
neglect  of,  denounced,  131 ;  to  be  taught  the  Scriptures, 
147;  the  catechism,  149;  not  to  be  perplexed  with  con- 
troversy, 153;  the  neglect  of,  a  shame,  177;  a  sin,  178; 
why  often  neglected,  179;  their  pleasure  in  learning, 
198 ;  sermon  on  sending  to  school,  218-270  ;  to  be  edu- 
cated for  the  Church,  222 ;  not  all  to  be  so  educated, 
234 ;  what  done  with  promising  children,  235 ;  to  be 
educated  for  civil  government,  244 ;  raised  to  high  posi- 
tions by  education,  260 ;  poor  children  should  be  aided, 
270. 

Church,  corruption  of,  14;  Papal  definition  of,  32;  Roman 
organization  of,  34 ;  church  and  secular  power  in  Pro- 
testantism, 57;  helped  by  schools,  132;  church  fathers 
frequently  misunderstood  Scripture,  1 88. 

Cities,  their  duty  to  maintain  schools,  1 80;  authorities  urged 
to,  202. 

Comenius,  a  fundamental  educational  principle  of,  152. 

Common  sense,  value  and  nature  of,  lot. 

Council,  Plenary,  of  Baltimore,  47  ;  of  Trent,  on  indulgences, 
27  ;  rule  prohibiting  the  Bible,  44. 

Councils,  the  reformatory,  22. 

Courage,  source  of,  97. 

Deharbe,  on  the  Reformation,  n. 

Devil,  opposed  to  education,  171,  215  ;  corrupted  schools,  172; 
encourages  the  worship  of  Mammon,  211. 

Diet  of  Spires,  52 ;  of  Worms,  53. 

Discipline,  domestic,  123  ;  to  be  tempered  with  love,  123 ;  rod 
not  to  be  spared,  124. 

Discoveries,  relation  of,  to  Reformation,  13. 

Dittes,  on  Luther's  pedagogy,  67. 

Domestic  training,  113-117;  the  basis  of  social  order,  114;  a 
divine  requirement,  116;  a  religious  work,  117;  reasons 


INDEX.  2/5 

for,  118;  difficulties  of,  119;  in  spiritual  things,  120; 
home  discipline,  123  ;  the  soul  more  than  the  body,  124 ; 
three  faults  of,  125  ;  sum  of  filial  duty,  126;  Luther's 
high  ideal,  126. 

Duty,  filial,  the  sum  of,  126. 

Education,  popular,  and  the  Papacy,  32-51  ;  and  Protestantism, 
52-74;  science  of,  due  to  Protestantism,  66;  in  Roman 
and  Protestant  countries,  70;  beginning  of,  in  the  United 
States,  71 ;  fundamental  difference  between  Protestant 
and  Papal,  72;  before  the  Reformation,  75-89;  secular 
education  in  Middle  Ages,  79  ;  knightly  education,  80  ; 
burgher  schools,  81  ;  female  education  in  the  Middle 
Ages,  8 1 ;  condition  of,  at  beginning  of  the  six- 
teenth century,  83;  in  the  family,  113-127;  in  spiritual 
things,  120;  to  be  made  a  pleasure,  122;  how  ad- 
vanced by  Luther,  128;  neglect  of,  denounced,  131; 
two  great  reasons  for,  131  ;  compulsory,  136,  269;  com- 
prehends three  classes  of  schools,  138;  for  girls,  138, 
196;  public  better  than  private,  141,  197;  definitions  of, 
145  ;  studies  and  methods  in,  147-168 ;  place  of  Scrip- 
ture in,  147  ;  of  catechism,  149;  Socratic  method,  152; 
to  be  adapted  to  child  nature,  154;  the  concrete  to 
illustrate  the  abstract,  155;  ancient  languages  in,  156; 
the  mother  tongue,  157;  rhetoric  and  logic,  159;  history, 
160;  natural  science,  162;  music,  164;  gymnastics, 
166;  importance  of  education,  173;  reasons  for  sup- 
porting, 174;  a  divine  command,  176;  neglect  of,  a 
shame,  177;  also  a  sin,  178;  value  of,  to  cities,  181 ;  to 
civil  order,  196;  evils  of  neglecting,  216,  224,  232. 

Eloquence,  nature  of,  107. 

Erasmus,  lack  of  martyr  spirit,  95;  indifferent  to  nature,  163. 

Faith,  justification  by,  57  ;  how  viewed  by  Luther,  58;  brings 
the  soul  into  immediate  relation  to  God,  59;  an  element 
of  strength,  96. 

Famines,  various,  referred  to,  240. 

Fathers,  Church,  frequently  misunderstood  the  Scriptures,  188. 


2/6  INDEX. 

Fredet,  mutilation  of  history,  43. 

Gallicanism,  33. 

Germans,  religious  nature  of,  22  ;  fundamental  traits  of  char- 
acter, 91. 

Germany,  condition  of,  176;  source  of  civil  law,  245;  Luther's 
fears  for,  269. 

Gerson,  on  method,  85.  * 

Gladstone,  on  Papal  power,  35. 

God  in  history,  26;  enjoins  education,  176. 

Good  works,  in  Romanism  and  Protestantism,  contrasted,  231. 

Government,  civil,  a  divine  ordinance,  63,  243;  Luther  on, 
134;  schools  to  be  maintained  for,  135;  needs  schools, 
194,  196;  ministerial  and  civil  office  compared,  242. 

Grammar,  office  of,  158. 

Greeks,  example  in  education,  195. 

Gregory  VII.,  on  Papal  power,  22.     Gregory  XVI.  quoted,  42. 

Groot,  Gerhard,  85. 

Guizot,  on  the  Reformation,  12. 

Gymnastics,  166. 

Hegel,  on  the  Reformation,  14. 

Heroes  of  an  epoch,  90. 

Historians,  utility  and  character  of,  161.    . 

History,  supplies  illustrations,  155;  shows  God's  dealings  with 
men,  160. 

Hosmer  on  Luther  as  philosopher  and  poet,  104. 

Hymns  of  Luther,  105  ;  Coleridge  on,  105;  a  Jesuit's  testimony, 
105. 

Index  expurgatorius,  44. 

Indulgences,  doctrine  of,  26,  27 ;  Council  ot  Trent  on,  27 ;  sale 
of,  by  Tetzel,  28. 

Janssen,  Johannes,  quoted,  86. 

Jesuits,  maxim  of,  in  education,  50;  reason  for  their  educa- 
tional activity,  50. 

Judgment  Day,  233. 

Justification  by  faith,  57 ;  how  viewed  by  Luther,  58 ;  brings 
the  soul  into  immediate  relation  to  God,  59. 


INDEX.  277 

Justinian  quoted,  254. 

Knights,  education  of,  80;  knights  and  scribes  compared, 
258;  knightly  order  not  to  be  undervalued,  259. 

Knowledge,  of  two  kinds,  158. 

Languages,  ancient,  156,  183:  necessary  to  preserve  the  Gos- 
pel, 1 86;  helpful  to  ministers,  192;  advantageous  in 
ordinary  life,  235. 

Leo  X.,  remark  of,  1 5 ;  Maximilian's  estimate  of  his  character, 
24. 

Lessing,  on  Luther,  98. 

Libraries,  203;  origin  of,  203;  bad  books  in,  205  ;  what  books  < 
to  collect,  206. 

Literature,  attitude  of,  toward  the  Papacy,  24. 

Logic,  office  of,  159. 

Luther,  ninety-five  theses,  29;  at  Worms,  53;  on  justification 
by  faith,  58  ;  religious  experience,  58  ;  on  priesthood  of 
believers,  60 ;  letter  to  mayors  and  aldermen  in  behalf 
of  Christian  schools,  67,  169;  pedagogy  of,  67;  his  cate- 
chisms, 68,  88  ;  establishes  schools  at  Eisleben,  68;  on 
popular  ignorance,  88;  chapter  on,  90;  the  hero  of  the 
sixteenth  century,  91  ;  his  early  career  and  ability,  92  ; 
called  to  Wittenberg,  94 ;  fitness  for  his  work,  94  ;  hon- 
esty of  character,  95 ;  a  man  of  faith,  96 ;  courage  of, 
97;  violence  of,  98;  his  style  in  writing,  100,  in  ;  intel- 
lectual strength,  101  ;  aesthetic  tastes,  102 ;  tenderness 
of,  103 ;  as  a  poet,  104 ;  domestic  life,  106 ;  at  his 
daughter's  death-bed,  107;  his  eloquence,  108  ;  conser- 
vative character,  108;  industry,  109;  apology  to  his 
printer,  no;  his  toil  in  translating  the  Bible,  no;  sum- 
mary of  his  character,  ill ;  Carlyle  on,  112  ;  on  domes- 
tic training,  113-127;  on  marriage,  113;  on  filial  obed- 
ience, 114;  on  the  parental  relation,  115;  who  should 
marry,  119;  on  religious  instruction,  120;  on  domestic 
discipline,  123;  on  schools,  128-146;  how  he  advanced 
education,  128;  on  the  establishment  of  schools,  129; 
fundamental  reasons  for  schools,  131 ;  on  the  ministerial 


2/8  INDEX. 

office,  133,  -218-222  ;  opposed  to  secularizing  schools, 
136;  favored  compulsory  education,  136,  269;  three 
classes  of  schools,  138 ;  on  female  education,  138, 
196,  200;  on  school  training,  141,  197;  on  teacher's 
vocation,  142 ;  ministers  should  first  be  teachers,  143  ; 
on  ministers,  144 ,  conception  of  education,  145  ;  on 
studies  and  methods,  147-168  ;  on  the  study  of  Scripture, 
147 ;  qualifications  for  teaching  Scripture,  148 ;  on  the 
use  of  the  catechism,  149 ;  children  not  to  be  perplexed 
with  controversy,  153;  a  student  oT  child-nature,  154; 
the  concrete  to  be  used  to  illustrate  the  abstract,  155 ; 
on  the  ancient  lauguages,  156,  183;  a  teacher  of  the 
mother  tongue,  157;  method  in  language  teaching, 
157;  on  rhetoric  and  logic,  159;  on  pedantry,  160;  on 
history,  160;  appreciation  of  nature,  162;  love  of  music, 
164;  on  gymnastics,  166;  summary  of  educational 
merits,  167  ;  confidence  in  his  mission,  170;  boasts  of 
the  Spirit,  193 ;  children's  delight  in  learning,  198 ;  on 
libraries,  203-208 ;  on  evils  of  neglecting  education, 
224 ;  on  civil  government,  242,  243  ;  praises  his  craft, 
254 ;  a  beggar  pupil,  261  ;  school  teaching  next  to 
preaching,  264  ;  his  fears  for  Germany,  269. 

Macaulay,  contrast  of  Papal  and  Protestant  countries,  50 ;  on 
poets,  104. 

Mammon,  wprship  of,  hurtful  to  education,  213;  depreciates 
culture,  262. 

Marriage,  Luther  on,  113;  who  should  marry,  119. 

Mass,  why  rejected,  56;  false  honor  of  celebrating,  220. 

Massacre  of  St.  Bartholomew  misrepresented,  43. 

Maximilian,  Emperor,  quoted,  259. 

McCarthy,  on  public  schools,  46. 

McGlynn,  Rev.  Dr.,  quoted,  49. 

Melanchthon,  on  popular  ignorance,  87 ;  on  Luther's  elo- 
quence, 108;  the  Zwickau  prophets,  109. 

Methods,  of  teaching,  147-168  ;  how  to  use  the  catechism,  150; 
fundamental  principle  of  Comenius,  152;  Socratic 


INDEX.  279 

method,  152  ;  children  not  to  be  perplexed  with  contro- 
versies, 153;  teaching  to  be  adapted  to  child-nature, 
154  ;  learning  to  be  made  pleasant,  154 ;  the  concrete  to 
illustrate  the  abstract,  155  ;  in  teaching  language,  157  ; 
children's  delight  in  learning,  to  be  utilized,  198 ;  study 
and  labor  to  be  combined,  199. 

Meyer,  testimony  of,  18. 

Middle  Ages,  education  during,  75-89 ;  not  to  be  unduly  de- 
preciated, 75;  character  of,  76;  courses  of  study,  77; 
educational  defects,  83  ;  character  of  teachers,  84 ;  com- 
mon people  neglected,  86. 

Milton,  definition  of  education,  145. 

Ministers,  first  to  be  teachers,  143 ;  all  do  not  need  the  highest 
culture,  190;  should  urge  education,  212,  213,  217  ;  letter 
to,  215  ;  their  worth,  229  ;  support  for,  237  ;  lack  of,  238. 

Ministry,  value  of,  133;  ordained  of  God,  218,  219  ;  duties  of, 
219;  to  be  honored,  221  ;  great  works  of,  224;  benefits 
to  society,  228,  229  ;  support  of,  237. 

Monasteries,  condition  of,  17;  multiplication  of,  76;  benefits 
of,  77;  defective  instruction,  175. 

Music,  Luther's  praise  of,  164. 

Myconius,  description  of  religious  life  under  the  Papacy,  20. 

National  feeling,  growth  of,  24. 

Nature,  as  viewed  by  Protestantism,  65,  66. 

Neander,  on  the  mediaeval  clergy,  79. 

Niemeyer,  definition  of  education,  145. 

Nuremburg,  excellent  school  of,  211. 

Oath  of  Papal  clergy,  35. 

Obedience,  Luther  on,  1 14. 

Papacy,  dissoluteness  of,  15;  legalism,  17;  persecutions  by, 
19,  23;  historical  development  of,  21,  22;  pretension  to 
temporal  power,  22,  37;  Babylonish  captivity  of,  24; 
relation  to  education,  32-51 ;  divisions  of,  33;  primacy 
over  the  world,  34;  opposed  to  American  institutions, 
36 ;  doctrine  and  discipline  of,  36,  37  ;  reactionary  char- 
acter, 39 ;  opposed  to  religious  freedom,  39 ;  aims  at 


28O  INDEX. 

universal  supremacy,  40 ;  attitude  of,  toward  Protestant- 
ism, 40  ;  'opposed  to  intellectual  freedom,  42  ;  prohibits 
the  Bible,  44 ;  seeks  control  of  the  young,  45  ;  attitude 
toward  public  schools,  46 ;  unfavorable  to  popular  edu- 
cation, 49 ;  requires  a  mediating  priesthood,  58. 

Parental  relation,  115. 

Parents,  selfish,  neglect  education,  171 ;  why  they  neglect  it, 
179;  responsibility  0^232;  share  in  their  children's 
honor,  247 ;  God's  requirements  of,  249 ;  shame  in  ne- 
glecting education,  249;  should  educate  in  faith,  261; 
an  appeal  to,  265. 

Pedantry,  condemned,  160. 

Physicians,  value  of,  264. 

Pius  IX.,  warning  against  Protestant  literature,  43. 

Poets,  character  of,  104 ;  Macaulay  on,  104 ;  Shakespeare  on, 
104. 

Preachers,  see  Ministers. 

Priesthood,  mediating,  58;  of  believers,  59;  views  of  Luther 
on,  60 ;  Protestant  view  of,  emancipating  the  laity,  60. 

Protestantism  and  popular  education,  52-74 ;  origin  of  name, 
52 ;  misrepresented  by  Papists,  54 ;  fundamental  prin- 
ciples of,  55  ;  gives  the  Bible  to  laity,  61 ;  dignifies  life, 
64 ;  makes  education  an  interest  of  Church  and  State, 
64;  favors  the  study  of  nature,  65  ;  the  mother  of  pop- 
ular education,  74. 

Rambler  (Catholic),  on  religions  liberty,  41. 

Reformation,  causes  of,  9-31  ;  interests  affected  by,  9,  10;  a 
subject  of  controversy,  10;  Voltaire's  view,  10;  Roman 
view,  1 1  ;  in  relation  to  schools,  67. 

Religion,  a  personal  relation  to  Christ,  17. 

Revival  of  learning,  13. 

Rhetoric,  to  be  studied,  159. 

Roman  Catholic  statistics,  48 ;  institutions  in  New  York,  48. 

Rome,  education  in  ancient,  181 ;  example  in  education,  195. 

Saxony,  School  Plan,  68. 

Schiphower,  on  monastic  life,  17. 


INDEX.  28l 

Schmid,  on  Protestant  and  Papal  education,  72. 

Scholars,  pleasures  of,  251 ;  worth  not  appreciated,  256. 

Schools,  monastic,  76,  200 ;  cathedral  and  parochial,  78 ; 
burgher  schools,  8 1 ;  methods  of  instruction  in  Middle 
Ages,  83;  character  of  teachers,  84;  condition  of,  at 
beginning  of  sixteenth  century,  87  ;  Luther  on,  128-146 ; 
why  to  be  established,  129  ;  helpful  to  the  Church,  132  ; 
necessary  for  the  State,  135  ;  not  to  be  secularized,  136; 
to  be  maintained  by  the  civil  authorities,  137 ;  three 
kinds  contemplated  by  Luther,  138 ;  schools  for  girls, 
138  ;  school  training  better  than  private  instruction, 
141 ;  studies  in,  147-168 ;  Scriptures,  147 ;  catechism, 
149;  controversies  to  be  avoided  in,  153;  the  concrete 
to  illustrate  the  abstract,  155;  ancient  languages  in, 
156;  decline  of*  schools,  170;  reasons  for  supporting, 
174:  defects  of  Papal  schools,  206 ;  results  of  neglecting, 
216,  232. 

Sermon  on  sending  children  to  school,  218-270. 

Shakespeare,  on  poetic  genius,  104. 

Smalcald  Articles,  quoted,  58. 

Society,  constitution  of,  114. 

Socratic  method,  152. 

Soldiers,  conceited,  despise  culture,  255. 

Spencer,  Herbert,  definition  of  education,  145. 

Spengler,  Lazarus,  letter  to,  210. 

Spires,  Diet  of,  52. 

Strack,  quoted,  84. 

Strong,  Dr.  Josiah,  quoted,  49. 

Studies,  Luther  on,  147-168 :  Scriptures  of  chief  importance, 
147;  catechism,  149;  ancient  languages,  156;  the 
mother  tongue,  157;  rhetoric  and  logic,  159;  history, 
160;  natural  sciences,  162;  music,  164;  gymnastics, 
166;  study  and  labor  to  be  combined,  199. 

Study,  course  of,  in  Middle  Ages,  77. 

Syllabus  of  Errors,  on  temporal  power,  38  ;  condemns  religious 
toleration,  40 ;  condemns  public  schools,  46. 


282  INDEX. 

Teachers,  in  Middle  Ages,  84;  qualifications  for  teaching 
Scripture,  148  ;  not  appreciated,  263. 

Teaching,  an  honorable  calling,  142,  264. 

Tetzel,  sale  of  indulgences,  and  blasphemies,  28. 

Thirty-nine  Articles  on  rule  of  faith,  56. 

Ultramontanism,  character  of,  33 ;  in  relation  to  temporal 
power,  37. 

Unam  Sanctam,  bull,  38. 

Universities,  rise  of,  82 ;  great  number  of  students,  82 ;  four 
faculties,  83 ;  needed  reformation,  144 ;  defective  in- 
struction of,  175. 

Vatican  Council,  decrees  of,  34. 

Voltaire,  on  the  Reformation,  10. 

Votes,  Roman  Catholic,  48. 

Waldenses,  neglect  of  languages,  156,  194. 

Walther  von  der  Vogelweide,  quoted,  25. 

Words  versus  things,  158. 

Zwickau  prophets,  109. 


\..  94 1* 


University  of  California 

SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 

405  Hilgard  Avenue,  Los  Angeles,  CA  90024-1388 

Return  this  material  to  the  library 

from  which  it  was  borrowed. 


RL  CIRC 


MAR  1  8 


1967 

H. 


